Recommendations from Elected Officials

As a candidate for City Council I've asked people to do things that I have been unwilling to do myself. Let me explain.

Two years ago, during the last campaign season for local offices, I was the chair of Dixon Neighborhood. I found it prudent not to publicly endorse any candidate, even if I did so without using my title as chair. I worried that it might hinder my ability to work with members of the Council on behalf of Dixon Neighborhood, and that it might strain some relationships with the neighbors I was trying to serve if they preferred a different candidate. I still supported candidates in less public ways and gladly shared my thoughts with individuals if they sought my opinion.

Now as a candidate, I find myself in a somewhat awkward position of asking local elected officials to publicly support my candidacy. There are several reasons for this, and I'll explain one of them. I've blogged before about my reasons for continuing to campaign even if I'm running unopposed. Our Mayor and members of the City Council are public figures, they are well known and (for the most part) well liked. A majority of their voting constituents put them into office. Obviously some people value their opinions, so I figure that it would be helpful to provide their assessment of my potential as a Councilmember.

Councilmembers and the Mayor are also the most familiar with my views on local issues and how I approach difficult questions. As much as I find it fascinating, I've learned not to bring up the theoretical framework behind my views on the principles of cost recovery and user fees at social gatherings. But I have subjected our poor Councilmembers to such when they requested public feedback on the matter. I spare my co-workers the finer points of my opinion on the Sanitation Fee Structure, but I've given our Mayor an earful. Outside of my dear wife, who, with the patience of Job, hears me work through all of these issues, the Mayor and Councilmembers have the best insight as to what kind of Councilmember I would be.

Therefore I reached out to our local elected officials. Some have declined out of principle (or maybe they didn't have anything good to say) and others have provided a statement. Some said that they are willing to write a statement because no one is currently running against me. I respect the decisions of those who declined and I appreciate the support of those who agreed. I hope these new statements help give you some insight into the manner of Councilmember that I would be.