Sick Day - With Musings

Friday found this writer laying low, trying to gauge whether stomach rumblings and chills meant I was coming down with the flu or just reacting to a couple of tumultuous days.

The facts are not in after most of a day in bed, but as of this hour I have only the vaguest notions of a blog post.

One thing that kind of jarred me out of my malaise briefly was a comment from someone who is waiting for a candidate's "Greatest Hits" before deciding how to vote in the primary. After being an observer of the Plainfield political scene for 25 years, I would suggest that being one of nine or seven elected officials does not yield "Greatest Hits" of accomplishment as much as a "Top Ten" roster of things a person stands for.

Of course, this does not prevent some politicians for taking singular credit for new roads, a downtown building or even a winning basketball team, conveniently forgetting the role of others in bringing these things about.

I just looked through some old campaign flyers and those in which candidates talk about things they "worked for," "supported" or "advocated" more accurately describe public service than claims of single-handed success.

After Monday's filing date, we are in for about eight weeks of campaigning until the June 7 primary. Common wisdom in Plainfield is that the Democratic primary winners will prevail in the November general election, so competition will be fierce. I for one will not be looking for "Greatest Hits," but for the qualities that a candidate will need to in his or her political tool kit to advance, together with colleagues, the city's most important goals.

--Bernice