I hope everyone gets to enjoy some or all of the great events this weekend as detailed by Dan, because this is also the traditional weekend for political brickbats and brouhaha, for which we need an antidote.
I am talking about local races, not the presidential primary, which is a different quandary.
Some typical last-minute political ploys include laying blame for all the crime in the city at the feet of one's opponent, even though public safety is not the purview of the governing body.
Another is claiming one's opponent singlehandedly benefited some developer or another when actually six of seven council members, including the accuser, voted approval.
No single council member can make things happen or not happen, so conversely taking total credit for some innovation is over-reaching. As Councilwoman Gloria Taylor reminds us, you have to be able to count to four to get something done.
A candidate can legitimately claim to have advocated for some legislation or action by the council or may comment on some action taken by the administration. But mixing up the executive and legislative branches just shows a basic lack of understanding on how municipal government works.
If you get a flier with exaggerated claims or allegations, don't be fooled.
Luckily for us, there are only three more days for campaign charges and counter-charges and then between the hours of 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 7, the voters will speak. They will have the final word in the primary election, and then we can all veg out until the general election in November.
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Well said, as always.
ReplyDeleteVery true. Sadly we get disappointed by those we would expect more of. Looking at what any candidate has done in the past year or two gives us an idea of what they really represent.
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