In response to Mayor Fritzler's email, Councilwoman Adams sent out this email highlighting candidates worth of consideration in the election tomorrow (You do remember it is tomorrow, right?). Only two names, Carolyn Harvey and Jessica Bradshaw, appear on both lists.:
In general, unless a group publicly runs as a slate, I think it is inappropriate for an elected official, like the Mayor, to attempt to pick his associates.
On the other hand, I do believe its important to note the positive qualities of City Council candidates that you, the voters, will select. I regard the following candidates as worthy of your consideration: Lee M. Fronabarger, Carolin Harvey, Navreet S. Kang, Brent Ritzel, Jessica C. Bradshaw and Tony Holsey.
I have high regard for all the Council candidates whom I have had the opportunity to hear at forums and whose positions I have read. These six have struck me as the candidates who have the necessary depth and breadth of knowledge and experience with Carbondale’s governance to represent all the citizens of Carbondale. As I note below, all six have positive attributes and experiences that they would bring to Council.
I urge voters to learn as much as they can between now and Tuesday in order to vote for the individuals you believe will best represent your interests and aims for this city.
Additional information is available on the sites linked below. This not an endorsement. In terms of my priorities for the city, I favor some candidates over others. I fully expect to have disagreements on policy and enlightening debates with all of these prospective council members. That is how it should be in a robust and substantive democracy.
Lee M. Fronabarger has been an excellent member of City Council, always prepared and ready to enter into the discussion at Council. Crucially, he has been supportive of the Carbondale Neighborhoods including opposition to Neighborhood Business Districts as the issue came before Council. Lee has long been an advocate for the proposed aquatics center. He initiated the new city program that offers savings on prescription drugs for city residents who lack full coverage. He lives on the southeast side of Carbondale.
Carolin Harvey has strong skills in accounting and an interest in balancing the City's budget. She currently serves as the chair of the Planning Commission. She is a long time professional at the university, has been active in a number of civic organizations, and lives on Carbondale’s far west side.
Navreet S. Kang is a naturalized citizen who has achieved the American dream. He owns his own business and is a long time member of the Carbondale Planning Commission as well as a past elected member of the Park District. Carbondale has a large and growing immigrant community that has not achieved the recognition that it deserves. Navreet lives in the area between West Freeman and Murdale Shopping Center.
Tony Holsey is a builder and contractor in the construction industry. As such, he is deeply knowledgeable about the condition of housing in Carbondale. Through his work he has achieved familiarity with our housing codes and ordinances. He is also a minister at Greater Gillespie Temple Church and a leader in the African American community. He lives in the Northwest neighborhood
Jessica C. Bradshaw and Brent Ritzel share many of the same attributes. They are both Carbondale natives and attended local schools. They are both focused on environmental issues and sustainability. Also and very important, they represent a young cohort of candidates in Carbondale. Both live in the Northwest neighborhood and are active in the Northwest Neighborhood Association.
My View
City Council Elections on Tuesday
In a recent email, Mayor Fritzler took the unusual step of
endorsing four candidates for City Council. The four candidates would,
he said, “have the necessary skills to work together with other council
members, the city manager, and Carbondale residents.”City Council Elections on Tuesday
In general, unless a group publicly runs as a slate, I think it is inappropriate for an elected official, like the Mayor, to attempt to pick his associates.
On the other hand, I do believe its important to note the positive qualities of City Council candidates that you, the voters, will select. I regard the following candidates as worthy of your consideration: Lee M. Fronabarger, Carolin Harvey, Navreet S. Kang, Brent Ritzel, Jessica C. Bradshaw and Tony Holsey.
I have high regard for all the Council candidates whom I have had the opportunity to hear at forums and whose positions I have read. These six have struck me as the candidates who have the necessary depth and breadth of knowledge and experience with Carbondale’s governance to represent all the citizens of Carbondale. As I note below, all six have positive attributes and experiences that they would bring to Council.
I urge voters to learn as much as they can between now and Tuesday in order to vote for the individuals you believe will best represent your interests and aims for this city.
Additional information is available on the sites linked below. This not an endorsement. In terms of my priorities for the city, I favor some candidates over others. I fully expect to have disagreements on policy and enlightening debates with all of these prospective council members. That is how it should be in a robust and substantive democracy.
Lee M. Fronabarger has been an excellent member of City Council, always prepared and ready to enter into the discussion at Council. Crucially, he has been supportive of the Carbondale Neighborhoods including opposition to Neighborhood Business Districts as the issue came before Council. Lee has long been an advocate for the proposed aquatics center. He initiated the new city program that offers savings on prescription drugs for city residents who lack full coverage. He lives on the southeast side of Carbondale.
Carolin Harvey has strong skills in accounting and an interest in balancing the City's budget. She currently serves as the chair of the Planning Commission. She is a long time professional at the university, has been active in a number of civic organizations, and lives on Carbondale’s far west side.
Navreet S. Kang is a naturalized citizen who has achieved the American dream. He owns his own business and is a long time member of the Carbondale Planning Commission as well as a past elected member of the Park District. Carbondale has a large and growing immigrant community that has not achieved the recognition that it deserves. Navreet lives in the area between West Freeman and Murdale Shopping Center.
Tony Holsey is a builder and contractor in the construction industry. As such, he is deeply knowledgeable about the condition of housing in Carbondale. Through his work he has achieved familiarity with our housing codes and ordinances. He is also a minister at Greater Gillespie Temple Church and a leader in the African American community. He lives in the Northwest neighborhood
Jessica C. Bradshaw and Brent Ritzel share many of the same attributes. They are both Carbondale natives and attended local schools. They are both focused on environmental issues and sustainability. Also and very important, they represent a young cohort of candidates in Carbondale. Both live in the Northwest neighborhood and are active in the Northwest Neighborhood Association.
From my Facebook account:
ReplyDeleteMinutes after reading this blog post on the value political endorsements by Seth Masket et at. -- found at http://mischiefsoffaction.blogspot.com/2013/04/do-endorsements-actually-work.html -- I read this email from Jane Adams, a member of Carbondale City Council:
"In a recent email, Mayor Fritzler took the unusual step of endorsing four candidates for City Council. The four candidates would, he said, “have the necessary skills to work together with other council members, the city manager, and Carbondale residents.”
In general, unless a group publicly runs as a slate, I think it is inappropriate for an elected official, like the Mayor, to attempt to pick his associates.
On the other hand, I do believe its important to note the positive qualities of City Council candidates that you, the voters, will select. I regard the following candidates as worthy of your consideration: Lee M. Fronabarger, Carolin Harvey, Navreet S. Kang, Brent Ritzel, Jessica C. Bradshaw and Tony Holsey."
Where to start?
First, there is nothing unusual or inappropriate about endorsing candidates. I simply cannot understand what the argument would be, especially in a low-information race. If you ask me, its another swipe at the Mayor. And that's fair game as far as I'm concerned. But, its weak sauce.
Second...unless I'm completely illiterate, doesn't she basically endorse candidates? Like the Mayor, the Councilwomen endorsed more people than can be elected. But its still saying, "Hey, from my perspective these are people I think will do a good job."
How are we supposed to take this kind of argument? Well, this is politics and both the Mayor and Councilwoman are politicians of a sort. There is more politics behind these endorsements than people probably realize (or, frankly, care about). But perhaps we can all agree on the basics -- politicians endorse people running for office. Its not wrong, its not unethical, and not unusual. So, take the endorsements FWIW. But can we stop pretending that this isn't a politics and that its not unethical?
BTW, that's the second shot in recent weeks from the Councilwoman about the Mayor being unethical, without any other evidence to support it. How about we just try to make the argument on the merits? It seems to me that her argument on the code had plenty of support and that the ill-founded "ethical" problems did her cause more harm than good.
I was thinking the same thing about your number 2 point.
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