We know, we know. November is a bit of a ways off. But those who choose to run for either City Council or School Board have until June to file their candidacy plans with the State Board of Elections.In the November election, citizens from four boroughs will vote on key seats - four for city council and another four for the School Board. The boroughs are Chuckatuck, Cypress, Holy Neck, and Suffolk. The picture shows the incumbents for those seats.
Now, let's talk. What do we want to see in an effective council or school board member? Who has done a worthy job? Who needs to step aside? What issues have been resolved under the leadership of our incumbents? What still needs to be resolved? For the issues that still need to be resolved, are the incumbents up to the task or do we need to bring in someone different? If you think someone different is needed, who would you suggest? Have the incumbents kept their campaign promises? Have they done what they've said they will do? Do their votes support this? Does the work they have done on behalf of citizens support this?
9 comments:
Who is considering a run? Who is testing the waters?
In response to "Anonymous" at 7:51 p.m.
For Council:
Chuckatuck -Retirement? Barlow is going to retire (hopefully). Mike Duman will get his seat. Regardless.
Suffolk- Leans Parr. Parr will have to fend off Powell and maybe Debranski. What about Nelms? Was the Clerk's race in '03 his exit from politics? What about Bobby Ralph?
Holy Neck - toss up. Looks like Mills Godwin's law partner could become the victim of the typical council race out there. At one council meeting, he even joked about how they don't re-elect in his borough.
For years, Jeff was at a political law firm, with one partner having been governor, and the other (Sammy Glasscock) serving over two decades in the House of Delegates.
His law partner is the mayor's husband. But does he want to campaign hard this year?
I didn't vote for him in '06 and don't plan on doing it in 2010.
He does however, seem friendly - something that goes a long way in local politics.
Cypress- Likely Brown (if it's a two-way). Too soon to tell. Depends on how many challengers he has (if any), and whether or not he runs again. He is the second longest member of the city council.
For School Board
Cypress - Skeeter - see Brown.
Holy Neck - Copeland a career politician. Served 2 non-consecutive terms on council; he has run just about every four years (or so it seems). I have never voted for him (at least I don't think I have). I could be wrong on that one.
Also, his wife is on the electoral board - conflict of interest?
I do like the fact that he voted to keep the Holland school - our school in Holland - where most of the kids that will go to the new school live. In my book, if he campaigns on that hard, he will be re-elected. But, then again it is a diverse borough. The 58 corridor has a lot of voters at Kilby's Mill that won't be affected by that issue.
Hill- may retire, could be defeated if he had a good challenger but, he does a good job
Debranski - depends. Let's be clear - I like Mike, he's a good guy. I voted for him for mayor.
Does he want to be on council? He didn't do too bad in the Suffolk borough in the mayor's race. He even won Lakeside. He came in third at both Olde Towne and Elephant's Fork - at both of these precincts he did the best out of 3 mayoral candidates that lived in the Suffolk Borough and, he could give the "who's who" that are upset with Parr someone to vote for. He and Parr both live in the same community in the SW part of the borough.
Many of the voters at Lakeside and Olde Towne are, for the most part, long time residents of the borough. Neighborhoods like Riverview, Lakeside, Williamstown and the River Point Condos make up a large portion of the population here. A strong candidate that can do well at Elephant's Fork and hold their own at Lakeside and Olde Towne could win if it is a three-way.
When there is more that one opponent, the incumbent typically does well (2008 Mayor's Race). In a three or four-way race however, Debranski does well. He has appeal among African Americans (Charles Brown endorsed him in 2008), teachers, and long-time friends.
This formula could let a dark horse like Powell, Wahlstrom, or even Nelms (if he wanted a comeback) the opportunity to score an upset in what will most certainly be a clash of the titans.
Having his schoolboard seat open could create a potential brawl. Will be interseting to watch. If the main focus in on the council race here, then the school board seat could wind up in anybody's hands.
These elections will be in November - not in May. This will be good for challengers because of the higher turnout. Voters in these elections are not like May election voters in that, you don't necessarily have to have met them or known them for 30 years to get their vote. With the "throw the bums out" mantra coming from the Tea Party movement, I wonder what effect this could have on local races.
Whitley has been around since the days of one room school houses. To him texting is students writing on individual chaulk boards. He may be a nice man and with good intentions but his chistle and mallet approach to education is long passed and so should his personal seat on the School Board. Whitley it's time to move on.
On this MLK Day I am taking a moment to reflect on how badly race relations has become in Obama's first year in office. Citizens have chaffed for years about affirmative action and reverse descrimination. One group over another purely because of the melanin content of their skin. Then we elect the first black president with the hopes of change, only to see them dashed by his partisan ambitions. Now we have a nation that is separate but equal. Blacks refrain from criticizing Obama and maintain a 90% favorable opinion of him. Whites and independent voters hold their tongue but are trending strongly to the right. Early in Obama's tenure without knowing the facts he candidly stated that Cambriodge Police Sargeant Crowley acted stupidly when he arrested Harvard Professor Louis Gates. Then he attempted to settle the issue in a media charade on the White House lawn over a beer. Nothing has been settled and the fissures of race are rapidly widening. If deep rooted issue of race could have been settled over a beer maybe Doctor Martin Luther King should have said; "Beer at last, beer at last, thank God almighty there is beer at last."
Today on television we see White actors portraying individuals that are bankrupt and in dire need of debt refinance. Home alarm companies where the door is kicked in by a White. Yep we've come a long way since the days of Dr. King.
I guess I am no different...I just sit around until election day and maybe vote for someone on the ballot that looks good to me. I figure there will be one new candidate that wants that easy money. If he/she looks good.
Me run, no way whether it's for school board or Council. There are too many on both that are not worthy of the position but they will always be there.
It's gratifying in Obama's America that even though his last name ends in a vowel, non-Italians like the Salahi's can evoke the Fifth Amendment more than thirty times. What a great country.
Will the inept handeling of the Obici site lead anyone to the realization that we need a change in local government seats? Many have held these seats for years and they are the problem! I really like the idea of term limits, but know that the present politicans will never approve of such limits for their powers on their own.
I can only hope that my fellow citizens will remember this and other fiascos and failures of our narrow-minded Mayor and Council. It used to be that we could weather the failures of the political dummies, because we had the counter-balance of good city managment and a strong staff. Now the Mayor has her girl friday in charge to do her bidding and respond to her whims and it shows. The problem is: there is no one to tell the mayor and council that they should not do "that", so we get stupid and corrupt decissions and policies. Seems like we are reaping what we have sowen. Vote for self-serving and corruptly inept politicians that hire a "yes-mame" staff and you get what we see today. The circle is complete and we are tied into a tight knot of failed policies, costly demands, and stupid outcomes with shallow thought.
Time to clean house or we might not survive such decissions. When you vote next time, ask yourself if you would make the same decissions your representatives are making for you.
I see few people seem to care, but, here is my two bits.
BIT 1 - I could NEVER vote for either a used car salesman, nor a preacher for any public office.
BIT 2 - After observing Suffolk schools for the last 35 years, there is no way I could vote for any incumbent on the school board.
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