Well, I always told myself that if the question passed and I lost I'd still be a happy guy.
Man, was I wrong. Losing stinks, at least it did last night.
But things are better this morning, and I'm so glad I went through with the process. I did, in fact, meet a lot of great people and found election night a whole lot more exciting if you've got some skin in the game. I highly recommend the experience for anyone interested in politics, especially those on the sidelines who insist candidates should run even if they have zero chance in winning.
In the end, this probably is the best outcome for the Charter Review issue. Now I can blog on the issue without fear of betraying trusts or presenting conflicts. I can still shout from my laptop and ruffle feathers (if needed) without complicating matters.
In fact, that's probably why some of you didn't vote for me. You'd miss my unvarnished commentary. Yeah, that's the ticket.
But I'm thrilled the question passed so overwhelmingly. I feared a squeaker would undermine any sense of mandate the commission now holds. The poll on the right was in fact an accurate measure of the mood of the populace. People are open to change; the question will be, how much.
I look forward to helping answer that question.
Thanks again to everyone who voted for me.
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10 comments:
Tom,
I have little or no doubt that people didn't vote for you because you haven't lived in town long enough; long-term residents in all likelihood viewed you as a 'newcomer' who ran for a position that would have a say in changing the structure of local government.
You got nailed by the Townie Effect. In a town where another bloggers claims that there's a 'dark side' and a simple matter like sidewalk A-frames become The Hot Topic for weeks...well, never underestimate the Townie Effect. This has been reinforced in long-term residents by the Lisa Mead Effect.
In fact, it's somewhat surprising to me that Herzog got elected (what the heck, he needs a job, right?).
Keep bloggin' and try again.
- The Carrot
Thanks Carrot. Believe me, I'm not taking it personally, and I'll definitely do it again if/when the situation arises.
And I agree on Ari. To his credit, the guy just worked his butt off and I believe people respect that. It's clear that the crytal ceiling blocking the path to the council has been broken with Ari and Katie staging two surprise wins.
I have a sneaking suspicion (that I can't prove due to the whole 'anonymous ballot' thing here in the USA) that Ari* won only because the total number of votes he received was comprised of a certain percentage of 'new comers'; remember that the total number of received votes will be a blend of new and older residents. This reduces campaigns for recent residents into a minimax equation situation where one needs to find the right blend of tactics in order to get the right blend of votes among both populations (and let's be honest, there are two populations).
I believe Mead pulled it off due to timing; at that point people who were moving to the 'port were moving there because it was a nice place to live, relatively affordable and NOT seen as a 'trendy' address, and hence the percentage that voted was proportionally higher. As a result it was easy for her to be elected.
Now, on the bright side Ari and Katie winning seats means that its entirely possible for recent arrivals to be elected, they just have to pay attention to what appear to be non-traditional voter demographics.
Perhaps I'm wrong on this. After all, I'm a math and science type of guy (as well as stunningly handsome, modest and a gentleman) and not a politician. The trend makes intuitive sense to me, though, and I learned a long time ago to trust my instincts.
- The Carrot
*P.S. Do yourself a favor; if you want to blog about political issues do NOT refer to elected officials by their first names. That familiarity will bite you in the buttocks when they (inevitably) make a screw up.
I believe voters in either demographic appreciates someone who knocks on their door, listend to their troubles and promises to try to make them go away. Hard work pays off, and it goes way beyond sign holding. You've got to let people take measure of you.
I think Ives 2007 election was more impressive given that she outpaced a sitting councilor, Gary Roberts, who still is wildly admired. (to be clear, she didn't run against him. they were just both in the pack.)
Fair point on the names, I'm careful sometimes slip into familiarity.
Tom,
I want to thank you for running, and based on what I heard at the candidate forum, I'm really sorry you (and some others for whom I voted) didn't make it. I am not optimistic about that group. I really hope I am proved wrong.
Thanks Dick, I appreciate it. But there are good people on the panel. I think they can make it work, particulary if the public stays involved.
I should have said that I am sure they are good people, but I fear the combination will be ineffective. And, very conservative; I expect the final suggestion will be a 4-year Mayor term and (maybe) 4-year staggered Council terms. I'll be surprised if anything really original even gets a hearing.
Hey, Carrot, the sidewalk A-frames are making their yearly sneak attack. There's a P&D meeting tomorrow night that Barry Connell assured me would be noteworthy as that debate heats up again.
I think the Charter Commission question was the voters' way of signaling their discontent with President Obama's inexperience, dithering and long trail of broken promises.
But I'm going to say that about every election for the next three years.
Tom,
Sorry to hear that you did not win, but selfishly I look forward to some good blogging about the topic. Perhaps the Townie Effect was at work, which reinforces the need for people like you to make the "newcomers" aware of issues that impact all 'Port citizens.
PNB
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