Dear Group,
Back in Athenian democracy there were few enough candidates and ballot casters (“ballot” refers to the small balls with which they voted) so it was possible for a voter to have some personal, second, or third hand assessment of the character of a candidate. Today, even in local elections like the Primary this week (deadline tomorrow, Tuesday at 8PM) understanding the character of the candidates is more challenging. Instead of “I know John and John vouches for the candidate.” we’re often left with a google search for articles, reading pieces that see the candidates through a variety of selective prisms, each subject to the viewpoint and monetary motivations of the presenter.
Without thorough diligence, meeting and observing the candidate in person and in action, we are often left with the vague impression of a candidate gleaned almost unconsciously from the last article read, TV news clip consumed, or yard sign seen. It is not ideal, but it is what have with which to form our opinions. We’re human, and, as humans, I fear we sometimes vote for an appealing face, the intentionally projected image, rather than the real substance of the candidate. With that I offer an article you may not have read, and, if you did, you may not have reached the insightful part.
In this week’s Inlander, Daniel Walters penned a piece entitled, “Are the frontrunners to become Spokane mayor jerks?” Right up to the end of the article it seemed like Walter’s intent was to point out an obvious truth: no one in a position of power is liked by every single person with whom they work, that is, there is always a detractor one can seek out and quote. The two leading mayoral candidates, Ben Stuckart and Nadine Woodward, are good examples, but differ in their ownership of conflicts. Let me explain.
If you wade through the stories to the end of the article, though, there is an instructive quote. Camille Troxel worked as a producer of the 11PM newscast at KXLY. Troxel found the interaction with Woodward so toxic that she “threw up before going to work almost every day.” After a series of conflicts detailed in Daniel Walter’s article, Trowel left KXLY. Even though Trowel acknowledges that Stuckart also has a reputation for conflict, she continues to feel so strongly about her interaction with Woodward that she volunteered doing data entry for Stuckart’s campaign.
For me, this is where, in the article, Trowel nails it on the head:
“The difference is the self-awareness,” Troxel says. “Ben knows he’s a jerk sometimes. Nadine doesn’t know.”
Be sure to do your diligence and turn in your ballot before 8PM tomorrow, the evening of Tuesday, August 6 at one of the Drop Boxes (for locations, click here) or get it in the mail (no stamp needed!) soon enough so it is postmarked on or before Tuesday, August 6. (Ballots mailed but not collected and postmarked by tomorrow, August 6, are not counted.)
Once more I offer a plug for the progressivevotersguide.org as good place to start for a rational assessment of the candidates.
Keep to the high ground,
Jerry