Thanks Rick, Very I formative even though I don’t live there anymore, Sent from my iPhone
> On Oct 31, 2019, at 8:31 AM, Rick Archer r...@searchsummit.com > [FairfieldLife] <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> wrote: > > Hi Everyone, > > > > In case you're wanting more info about the mayoral election, here is a great > summary from one of my friends. > > > > You can also see forum video here if interested! > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNEwylgjEMM&fbclid=IwAR2mK7FAR5-qI2kNEWr9FRtiylFHV__fPbUm7QQCaU_d64pgZK7hMqtbAlA > > > > FORUM TAKE AWAYS > > > > I'm sharing this with all of you in case you are interested. I wrote this up > as a Facebook post reply to someone asking about what I thought of the forum > with the mayoral candidates (hence the weird formatting). > > > Here's my takeaway: I'm voting for Halley. > > Noyes came across like the love child of Trump and Marianne Williamson: > dropping words like “blessed,” “love” and “nurture” while also throwing out > grandiose claims: only 37% of kids can read, in 30 days you can learn block > chain technology that will make you $75 an hour, etc. etc. > > Michael made it clear that several of Ed’s promises were in domains entirely > beyond not only the Mayor but the city itself (e.g. decisions made at state > level or by other entities), but Ed kept saying that that “we can do > anything” and talking about how we needed to take back our “unalienable > rights.” He came across as someone with a huge vision (that sometimes I > agreed with, e.g. getting away from Aliant) and literally zero idea of how > anything works. > > Connie started strong, but her answers on an LGBTQ youth question (she > basically dodged it) and her response to the CAFO question were significant > red flags to me. (NOTE: The CAFO thing is often thought of a complex because > there are families benefitting from the model. Connie herself says, “ I am in > support of successful farmers.” I’ve thought a lot about this, and I’m no > longer swayed by that reasoning. Far more people (not to mention the > livestock and downriver ecosystems) are harmed by CAFOs, esp. when you > consider the antibiotic resistance issue. There are many families that > benefit from organized crime. There are successful criminals. But we > recognize that more people are significantly hurt by those actions and that > the benefit does not outweigh the cost.) > > Michael actually straight-up impressed me (and I was not expecting to be > impressed last night): he was just 100% the voice of reason. Ed would have no > idea about something, Connie would come in with a 3/4-baked idea or something > riffing off of whatever got Ed applause, and then Michael would quietly (I > think he had a sore throat) explain how things worked and what he proposed. > He kept to the facts, and he knew all of them. > > But as important as his grounded approach was, more important for me was the > fact that when it came to governing the city, his values most aligned with > mine. For example, he was not shy about his support for LGBTQ youth. On the > CAFO issue, he was also not shy about the fact that he would push for the 2 > mile extra-territorial zoning (the only thing the city really can do, he > explained). Connie had said “I think the city council should have a > discussion.” Michael said they’d already had that discussion but had never > followed up with it. (He was much more specific on this point, but I don’t > recall the details so I’m being vague).. Bottom line: things were ready to be > pushed forward and he was ready to facilitate that. > > Connie kept talking about growing our population (as this grows the tax base > and really is the only viable way to reduce taxes), but the only idea she > clearly laid out as to how was, “Tell your kids to come back home.” Michael > went into the nuances of how the city has grown: a non-insignificant > percentage of that growth includes people from Illinois who came here to > avail themselves of our aid programs. What we really need to do in the name > of sustainable growth, he explained, is grow specific demographics (namely, > young professionals). He explained that he intends to use the targeted > approach that Des Moines successfully used as a model for that. > > I had some sincere reservations about Michael going in there, but my only > practical reservation now is that by voting him to Mayor, I’m effectively > voting him off city council where I’m glad he’s been a voice. > > > >
