Day 23 – The Political Dodge & Weave – On The Road To Mayor

 
When I watched presidential debates I always was amused by how they rarely answered the question they were asked. They answered the question they wished they were asked. 

Maybe I’ll see someday why a candidate shouldn’t answer questions directly. 

Maybe someday I’ll see why I shouldn’t say I don’t know the answer to a question. 

But for now, I will naively plow ahead answering questions and admitting I don’t know the answers to some questions. 

The Initiative section of this site goes into some detail about certain things that I am really interested in working on. And I will add to it as we go along. 

Here are some quick hits on some of the more controversial topics:

• Yes. Based on what I have studied our sewer bills will go up. But slowing water down during storms is huge. If we could get a citywide plan moving where everyone does something, it’s possible we might be able to reduce the cost of the program. The EPA seems to be more open to alternative solutions these days. Can we get a large portion of the city to help slow water run off down? I don’t know, but I would like to look at this and help people understand how they could help.
• Why are there still massive potholes in July? I don’t know. When I find out I’ll let you know. My campaign manager hit a huge, unmarked, pothole on the way home from work. This should not be an everyday occurrence in July. Let’s work to do better than this.
• Can we reduce property taxes? Not likely. The state continues to cut funding. A big portion of our taxes go to schools. So maybe we could cut something there. But people also want better schools. So that’s not likely either. That said… The City of Calgary in Canada has done some cool things with their budget planning. They have the entire city offer input in the city budget. I love that idea. I would like to make this the defacto so that anyone could weigh in on how these city finances are handled.
• Can we stop the unconstitutional way we fund schools? I’m not sure. But if you have ideas or would like this to be something we work on let me know. 
• Marijuana – Yes. I support legalizing pot for many reasons. But I don’t see this as a city issue. As soon as it’s legal in Ohio, we should be the biggest supporters in the state working to help local businesses thrive.
• Abortion. I support women. They have the right to choose. Would I like to see abortion used less as a contraceptive? Sure. 
• Do I support the protesters in front of abortion clinics? Yes. They make me furious as much as they make my blood boil. But, I love the freedom of speech. 
• Do I support guns? Yes. If you legally can have a gun and want a gun you should be able to have one. But did you know that any auctioneer can sell a gun at someone’s house and just hand it over to the buyer. I’m not sure that’s the best idea. Let’s talk about this.
• Downtown arena? No. 
• Panhandlers with signs that do them injustice. This is not right. I feel like this trend is putting these people in a bad holding pattern. I have met so many panhandlers and homeless people in the last few weeks. I’ve met so many people who have been marginalized by society. It’s been eye-opening for me to understand who these people are.

• Felons. This group of people needs help. For our own sakes, they need help. I’d like to look at making it illegal to ask if a person is a felon on a job application. 

OK. Have I found something for just about everyone to disagree with me on? 

I think this is why politicians don’t say anything. They don’t want to offend anyone that may vote for them. I’m willing to offend and willing to look into things in order to make our lives better.

And in fairness to politicians, we the people have these strange “my way or the highway” litmus tests. 

My theory is this: I believe people can handle differences of opinion. I believe people can understand the complexity of issues where the answers aren’t easy. 

I also believe people would like a politician that levels with them. A person, just like them, that runs for office but talks with them and is deeply influenced by their opinions. 

I believe people are ready for someone that tells them the straight up truth. That’s what you’ll get from me. 

Will you get that from any of the other guys? I see no indication you will. They all look like old school politicians that will only say as much as they absolutely have to. And when they’re elected they’ll close the door behind them and leave you out of the process altogether. 
Photo from here: 

http://thepalatables.com/2011/09/12/political-promises/