You call this leadership? (Or: Caution! EmGee Rant Ahead)
I've been working crazy hours the past two weeks. Crazy as in at the office until midnight or home at 9pm and working again from home at 9:30pm. Big firm-wide deadline, so I'm not alone. And better than the alternative.
Anyway, I managed to spare some time last week to perform my civic duty and vote for new BOE members. I didn't make it to the candidates' forums, but I did read through candidates' websites, their statements on Cityline, the small amount of campaign literature I got at home and Real Hartford's fantastic windup of the debate at the library. And I know a few of the candidates. So I wasn't the most informed voter, but I did my best under the circumstances, and I knew who Milly Arciniegas was and what party she was with when she greeted me outside my polling place.
This afternoon, I took a short break from work to quickly catch up on what's going on in the city. While reading through Cityline's recent posts, I found this pathetic back and forth that appears to be between a Democratic councilperson, the chair of the Democratic Town Committee, and the-man-who-would-be-chair.
All I can say is ARGH. I'm a registered Democrat. I voted for one Democrat and two Working Families candidates. You want to know why I voted for those three candidates? They were the most impressive. They were prepared. They have relevant experience. I know one of them. And in local elections, parties just don't matter to me. People do. I've more than once voted for Independent and even – gasp – Republican candidates, too.
And I'm also sick of this kind of stuff. I cannot fathom being a member of the City Council and attacking my colleagues on blogs. Nor do I understand why a Town Committee chair, who is supposed to be the leader of his party in the city, would stoop to that level. Most of all, I can't imagine being a City Council member and attacking MY CONSTITUENTS for voting for a third-party candidate. You want to know why your party is losing our votes, rJo and Sean? Because of behavior like this. You don't have a right to my vote just because we're registered with the same party. And to attack the WFP for not showing the proper "appreciation" to Democrats who allegedly "put them in office"? PLEASE. The WFP has been gaining steam and EARNING their seats because they're working hard for them. People in this city know them because they knock on doors and show up to events. And because they aren't wasting time on personal attacks instead of dealing with this city's real issues.
Get the hell over yourselves and do your jobs, people. THAT's what will make people vote for you.
I, for one, know who I'm NOT voting for next time Council seats are up for grabs.
And now, back to work. I promise to write something more positive soon.
Anyway, I managed to spare some time last week to perform my civic duty and vote for new BOE members. I didn't make it to the candidates' forums, but I did read through candidates' websites, their statements on Cityline, the small amount of campaign literature I got at home and Real Hartford's fantastic windup of the debate at the library. And I know a few of the candidates. So I wasn't the most informed voter, but I did my best under the circumstances, and I knew who Milly Arciniegas was and what party she was with when she greeted me outside my polling place.
This afternoon, I took a short break from work to quickly catch up on what's going on in the city. While reading through Cityline's recent posts, I found this pathetic back and forth that appears to be between a Democratic councilperson, the chair of the Democratic Town Committee, and the-man-who-would-be-chair.
All I can say is ARGH. I'm a registered Democrat. I voted for one Democrat and two Working Families candidates. You want to know why I voted for those three candidates? They were the most impressive. They were prepared. They have relevant experience. I know one of them. And in local elections, parties just don't matter to me. People do. I've more than once voted for Independent and even – gasp – Republican candidates, too.
And I'm also sick of this kind of stuff. I cannot fathom being a member of the City Council and attacking my colleagues on blogs. Nor do I understand why a Town Committee chair, who is supposed to be the leader of his party in the city, would stoop to that level. Most of all, I can't imagine being a City Council member and attacking MY CONSTITUENTS for voting for a third-party candidate. You want to know why your party is losing our votes, rJo and Sean? Because of behavior like this. You don't have a right to my vote just because we're registered with the same party. And to attack the WFP for not showing the proper "appreciation" to Democrats who allegedly "put them in office"? PLEASE. The WFP has been gaining steam and EARNING their seats because they're working hard for them. People in this city know them because they knock on doors and show up to events. And because they aren't wasting time on personal attacks instead of dealing with this city's real issues.
Get the hell over yourselves and do your jobs, people. THAT's what will make people vote for you.
I, for one, know who I'm NOT voting for next time Council seats are up for grabs.
And now, back to work. I promise to write something more positive soon.
Hi EmGee,
I'm with you neighbor - not that I've read the stuff you read but that sadly I don't have to because pettiness is easy to predict - politicals can erode a person's umph faster than a Twinkie -
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Agree 100%.
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Well look! You have a blog! Me too, me too!
I'm so loving that you're a democrat! Oy the people that have jumped down my throat lately! I feel like the only one of my kind round' here. But, like you if the other side shows me something promising then I'll keep them in mind on voting day. They should hold their breath though there are some things that need to be changed round' here!
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I commend the WFP for helping to crack the Democractic machine that has broken Hartford for decades. The only problem is that most WFP candidates don't offer new ideas. Hartford's biggest problem is revenue (i.e., lack thereof) and the vast majority of our elected officials -- Dems and WFP -- only know how to spend money. They do not know how -- or lack to the political will -- to grow Hartford's grand list and reduce its stifling tax burden. I strongly encourage Hartford voters to consider the true alternative: Hartford Republicans.
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