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Listen to the candidates
Posted Wednesday, October 3, 2007, at 9:29 AM<< Previous | Read comments | Respond | Email link | Next >>
With the city at a crossroads in determining its future, this year's race for mayor and city council have become vitally important.
This Saturday, during the Fall Harvest Festival, there will be a "soap box" face-off for candidates, allowing them to present their positions on issues and their vision for the future of the town. We strongly urge area residents to take some time from enjoying the "fun" parts of the festival, and listen to the two forums (the council candidate forum is 11-11:30 a.m., and the mayoral forum is 12:30-12:45 p.m.) All of the candidates will be available afterwards to discuss matters with the public. It's one of the wonderful things about local politics. You can actually buttonhole a candidate, hear their views, and offer your opinions to them directly. With the election only a month away, it's time to prepare yourself so you make an informed choice at the ballot box. Comments Showing comments in chronological order [Show most recent comments first] |
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I'm looking forward to the forums Saturday. Who will be the moderator?
Toni Noland wll be. She is the Merchant's Coommittee Chairperson.
An informed choice at the ballot box, my former managing editor, would be not to cast a vote at all.
Then maybe they'll listen.
You really HAVE to vote, if you expect anyone to listen to your discontent later, even if it means walking into a polling booth and penciling-in "Archie Bunker."
For example, I don't like ANY of the 4 frontrunners in the current Presidential race. They are bums, worse than what we have now. Unless Thompson, Paul, Huckabee or a 3rd Party candidate comes to the front, I'm going to pencil-in my OWN name. Wasted vote? Maybe, but I have to sleep at night, so I will vote one way or the other.
Same with our Mayor vote. Some people say McNeal hasn't done a good job. Others say Rist was a key player on a town council that listened to nothing but their own agenda.
You don't HAVE to vote for either one, but before we lose our rights to vote in America, along with all the others that are going away, you should vote for SOMEBODY.
The main problem with not voting at all to make some kind of "statement," is that the UNINFORMED always seem to get to the polls come hell or high water, and then we're REALLY stuck with some clown we don't like.
I agree with bazookaman. I always say, "If you don't vote, you don't have the right to criticize later."
Heard the local candidates Saturday, in the cold wind, and was very impressed with all four candidates for city council. I had hoped I could clarify my thinking by attending, but I'm still at a loss for whom to elect -- they all seem so right. Downtown? Base? Growth? All are important issues.
The overall tone of Saturday's forum was very positive. These are men who obviously respect each other and could work together. That means a lot to me.
My choice for mayor is a little clearer than it even was previously, so Saturday helped there.
I think there will be another forum at the senior center toward the end of the month sometime; 28th maybe? I was wondering if they'll be able to answer questions from the audience there.
Keep on voting then, bazookaman and senior lady. Whatever makes you feel better at night. But remember, in our country, money, not voting, talks.
There's probably more truth to that than people realize.
You often hear the term "taking back our country." You hear it from both parties as "catchy slogans." But the only way we're ever going to take America back, is the same way the Colonials did.
I think it's going to happen. Even as soft-hearted and soft-headed as we as a nation have become, I cannot believe Americans are going to continue to let it all erode, and totally submit to the corruption of our government.
If nothing else, we owe it to our children and grandchildren to get these apes out of Washington before we're ALL speaking Spanish and Chinese.
"A little revolution every now and then is a healthy thing."
Yes it is, Mrfresh28.......yes it is!
There has been a little talk about the City Council canididates on the Mtn Home News blogs but I'm afraid
that there has not been enough talk about the Mayor Candidates. I think Prouty and Anderson would be a fresh breath of air to the council. There has not been any fresh air for many years now. You can blame anything you want on the Mayor but he doesn't even have a vote unless to break a tie vote of the City Council. He has had a real handicap working with the self-serving council that he had. Now - remember - one of those self serving council persons is running for Mayor.
That council person spent 2.6 million dollars of the City taxpayers money to get Marathon Cheese and to get his wife the best job out there. We should all feel warm and fuzzy because she doesn't have to drive to Boise anymore. The urban renewal money that was used for Marathon Cheese that was build on a "deteriorating piece of property" should have been used to fix up our deplorable main street. There are a lot of similar issues that have gone on and I'm sure you all know of some of them.
Like I said sometime back, be careful what you wish for. I am by no means...and never will be....a Democrat, but there is no way I would EVER support ANY candidate who has been a member of this past town council.
I've supported Joe in the past. I've also supported Cecil Andrus, because not all Democrats are fools. Republicans are becoming just as inept these days though, so it's still best to vote for the individual.
As for Marathon Cheese, I hate to see ANY new corporations come in, because it means more population, growth, overcrowding and crime. On the light side of it, though, Marathon Cheese has at least broken Wally World's grip on "Work for us or commute to Boise." I'm glad to see that, in a way.
Politics in Mountain Home are more corrupt than in Washington, D.C.
And that's saying quite a lot.
How is the Urban Renewal District coming by the way? I remember some good ideas when I was covering it, but never heard how it all panned out.
I would be interested to hear specific examples of corruption in Mtn Home politics, Mrfresh28. It would be very enlightening, and indeed, crucial, in this election cycle.
Speaking of "self serving" let's think about the council person that is against LED signing or other signs that is satisfied with butcher paper and marking pencil advertising in the window. This council person is not running for office this time but - where were the other council persons. Could they not see the merit in some signing on the businesses?
Well Observer, all one has to do is attend a city council meeting and see for themselves. When I was there, they argued and bickered about what was going to be on the agenda and who had the power to regulate it for god's sake.
I'm not really interested in the election myself but I would tell prospective voters to do their research before making a decision.
Your previous comment referred to Mountain Home polictics being 'corrupt'. The bickering and manipulation of the agenda requiring mediation was and is obvious, but not 'corrupt'. What I'm interested to know about, and so are voters, is the corruption you refer to. Who specifically, for example, is taking payola, or bribes, or enriching themselves at the expense of the city, or hiring cronies, etc.?
Haha, that's for you to figure out for yourself. Like I said, I am not a voter anymore so I really don't care one way or the other.
But if I were you, I would start with the mayor's office hours and work my way from there.
Wait a minute- first you said there was corruption in Mtn Home politics. Then you said it is up to us to find it, that you no longer care. But your regular comments on this page betray the fact that you do, in fact, care, or you wouldn't take the time to read, post, and respond. Since you are no longer a voter and, I think, no longer live here, why not reveal, in detail, the corruption of which you have knowledge? The work hours were already known, and written about. Work my way where? Which direction?
Calm down before you have a heart attack, Observer.
First of all, I don't really care about politics in Mountain Home, I just like to put in my two cents since I was once on the "in" with the happenings at city hall.
Second, I don't have written proof of anything. Just what I saw with my own two eyes.
I'm calm, I was just highlighting what looked to be an inconsistency in your reasoning. No offense or excitation. I didn't ask for 'written proof', just specific examples. That's all. Specific examples of corruption, witnessed with your own two eyes. I just want to be pointed in the right direction.
OK-I'll point you towards city hall. Talk to department heads...Phil, Ron, Luise, etc.
Good luck.
mrfresh28 -
I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out a connection between the three person's you named.
Well, they're all department heads. Or at least they were when I was there. They were also the people who I sat by at city council meetings.
I was just saying they might have some insight/perspective on the mess at city hall. That's all.
Although election is over I still want to say this.The clash between the incumbent Mayor and the city council is a good thing.That means there were so much check and balances and they were able to present the pros and cons to their agenda. Now that the incoming officials are all in the same side will there be proper Check and Balances? That remains to be seen.