Doing My Homework; AGAIN!
Maybe
it's not exactly homework, but it IS work and it IS important for me to
do. It's important for ALL of us to do. And that is to do our own
(personal) research/homework when it comes to making a decision on who (or in
referendum cases what) to vote for. Each of us have our own values.
Each of us have differing opinions. Each and every one of us needs to
take the time and put in the effort to decide what is best for us before
casting that vote.
For me,
it starts on a local level. Several years ago, I realized that it was my
obligation to find out more about candidates for our town council. That
mission led me to writing this. As a result, I've worked to better
inform myself and not just locally! I try to do as much research on
candidates on the district, state and national level. I've even
attended a meet and greet for a candidate I will not be able to vote for in the
primaries (because I am unaffiliated), but hope to vote for in the fall.
I fully disclosed this to the candidate and happily, the candidate was still
eager to answer my questions and engage in a dialogue. (Which tells me
the candidate is serious about the position and the work that needs to be
done.)
However,
local is still very near and dear to me (and my wallet!). Once again it
is time to elect (or re-elect) town council members. The election is just
over two weeks away and I've been following local media weekly questions
with care. Which candidates align most closely with my thoughts? NO
candidate is ever going to be a perfect match. One of our current council
members and I actually discussed this. He is NOT up for reelection (that
will narrow your guessing field down a bit), but when he is, unless the
situation changes drastically, I WILL vote for him again because we generally
do see eye to eye on matters, but he is also open to my thought when we
don't. He agrees that we don't always agree and that's okay. Add to
the mix that he immediately followed up on a promise he made when he was
running for council...and it's easy to see why I would vote for him
again. As I've said before, every vote counts and I want mine to be taken
seriously.
To that
end, I went to every candidate's website and carefully read them. It was
interesting to note that this time, each candidate had a website AND active
social media presence. (Not the case just two years ago.) Then, as I did
last time there was a town council election, within a 20 minute time frame I
sent each of them an email with question. Emails were sent out in the
evening and there were no responses that night, but:
- Candidate A
responded to my email the next morning, approximately 13 hours after my
email had been sent. Candidate A impressed me immediately because of
the way the question was answered. It was very well thought out and
went above and beyond what I was expecting. I was so impressed that I responded
and we engaged in a dialogue about the town. This is what I want in
a town council member; someone I can talk with. I'll freely admit
that Candidate A scored big points with me.
- Candidate
B responded approximately an hour later. While this candidate did give
me a sort of standard and somewhat generic response, Candidate B DID
speak of responsibility and respect which is very important to me.
- Candidate C
responded an hour later. (Did they get together to time out their
responses?). Candidate C was the most formal in responding,
addressing me as Ms Shorten. There is NOTHING wrong with that in my
book! Formality with a relative stranger (I have met candidate
C in a semi-social situation, but while he might remember my face, he
probably would not remember my name) to me shows respect and I
appreciate that. Candidate C also included a phone number and told
me to call if I wanted more detail or clarity. Like Candidate A,
Candidate C was open to dialogue with me; something that I feel is very important.
- Candidates D and
E did not respond to me. It's been 72 hours since my email was sent
out, so I'm not expecting anything. I found this disappointing as
both Candidates have a heavy social media presence (as do ALL of the
candidates). If they don't have the time to answer me while they are
trying to get my vote, what are the chances they will answer me if I need
them and they are elected into office?
Those
responses (or lack of) have helped me form my decision as to who I will vote
for. But my decision is still not final. There are more questions
to be asked and answered. There is still a public
forum on May 1st at the Community Center. Everyone's chance see the candidates in action and to get "a feel" for what they are really
like.
No matter where you are and when your local elections take place, I
encourage you all to do your homework. Be informed! And then get out there and VOTE!
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