I've held my tongue for the last few days, without much
success hoping to set the tone for a holiday truce in the 3rd ward
mudslinging contest.
I can be silent no more. This job pays about the same as a
semi skilled government worker would take home for equivalent hours.
The winning applicant will be guaranteed the job for only a bit over
2 years. Then they have to compete for the job all over again.
Olin Moore has a broad base of support and the party
endorsement. With these assets he will need to spend relatively
little of his personal funds on his campaign. In 2005 he will have
the adavantage of incumbency and be able to run an even more thrifty
campaign. For Olin Moore the economics of running for this city
council seat make sense.
Margo Ashmore doesn't even live in the ward, so right of the
bat she has the considerable expense of maintaining a second
residence in the 3rd ward. Margo is doing a lot of mailings. She
claims she ran them off on a computer, and ribbons ain't cheap.
Conservatively, if she mailed the whole ward, she's spent $3,000 on
that on top of about at least $18,000 to rent even a tiny apartment
for the rest of the term. $21,000 to get into the final round for a
job that doesn't even last three years? Margo, the numbers don't add
up- if you're that bad at math you have no business voting on our
city budget!
Don Samuels' campaign raises even more questions. Putting
aside the issue of Don's "Christmas cards" and the insensitivity they
show to many 3rd ward residents diverse religious beliefs, I do
remember one of Don's supporters bragging about mailing 20,000 of
these out. And that was before the latest (3rd) one littered our
mailboxes. Don's "Christmas Cards" are pretty pricy, even when bought
from a scab printer. So Don's campaign is probably spending at least
$15,000 on just the "Christmas Card" mailing. And this is just for
the primary, with enough time for another mailing before the
election... So Don, why are you willing to pay $15,000+ just to get
into the final selection round for a temporary job- you'll have to
move to keep this seat in 2005? I winder what kind of resale value a
house in Jordan will have in 2005? And Don, if you're willing to lay
out this kind of $$$ to buy a council seat you need budget help
yourself and are in no way qualified to decide our city's budget.
Wondering in Hawthorne,
Dyna Sluyter
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- RE: [Mpls] 3rd ward- a council seat up for auction? No. dyna
