Saturday, April 01, 2006

Coming Down To It

So we come down to the hard nub of it. The election begins in something like 72 hours. I've been quiet about support or endorsement of any candidates to maintain some impartiality for the forum last week. To be painfully honest, there were times when making a choice was tough.
If my involvement in local politics has taught me anything it's how many good, dedicated people are involved.

Don't misunderstand. Some of those good, dedicated people may be wrong on one or another issue. They may be stubborn or brusque on occassion. But we are not cursed with the petty or the venal that some communities seem to be saddled with.

After last Saturday's forum I asked for one of Karen Aikman's yard signs for my house. I'll be voting for Karen because of something that Fred Juergens said. He said that the learning curve for those new to city government was very steep. I'll vote for Karen because she has the experience to flatten that curve. Evansville needs to hit the ground running on several projects this Spring.

That decision is made in the hope that Sandy can stay involved in city affairs. She has worked hard to broaden her experience with city government and to build some public management skills. Some have downgraded her for her failure to embrace the bloging community. I won't do that. We can be a slightly scruffy bunch and we're new. If we can keep our act together perhaps candidates will see us as one more way to reach out.

So there it is. I'll be voting for Karen and Fred. For County Judge? Look across the street from my house for the campaign sign. Assume I'll vote the opposite.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would be saddened to think that we would pick our Mayor based on a learning curve. I have been a teacher/counselor for years and feel that there is so much more to learning than attending meetings and being on a council. Having worked with Sandy over the past several years, I can honestly say that she is very capable of leading us all, as our next Mayor. Sandy's reluctance to participate in the debate on the blog site had more to do with the fact that she had a scheduling conflict and the fact that no one checked with her first. She is very progressive and I feel that we should be judging people on that issue.

Karen said...

I have been to a number of the public works meetings you were at Fred, I dont know how you missed me. I even spoke on a few occasions.

Karen Aikman

grumps said...

I agree with Anonymous here. Sandy's non-appearance has nothing to do with my decision. I just feel that Karen has spent more time in the fire than she has.

I truly hope that both stay involved in City government after tomorrow. We need all the good people we can get.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, Karen. My sincere apologies. I regret the error. Thanks for setting the record straight. Fred