Monday, January 29, 2007

Tribune's Tucker asks: "Why not urge someone that you think would make a good community leader to run?"

On Sunday, the Tribune’s John Tucker resumed his periodic cage-rattling with a prime, timely essay: TUCKER: A few good candidates.

Here are two excerpts.

Very few hear the call of public office and fewer still answer. It also seems that the same people keep hearing “the call.” Many times you’ll see a councilman defend his post against a former councilman (with candidates filing last week, it looks like there will once again be plenty of “currents” running against “formers” in southern Indiana). This gives the voter the choice of “keeping the status quo” or “going back to the old way of things” — not a great choice if you want to see changes in your community …

… Winning a local political race does not necessarily take the backing of a political party. It is not for the rich or the famous. An average person, with enough campaigning can attain a city council position. There is no reason that your boss, your neighbor or yourself couldn’t win a local election — so why not urge someone that you think would make a good community leader to run? It’s simple math — the more people who run for office, the better our chances will be for quality leadership.


To subvert Elvis Costello, Tucker’s “aim” is true. Here’s the single most important sentence in a thought provoking piece:

Winning a local political race does not necessarily take the backing of a political party.

Verily, for any issues-oriented human being, the existence of two political parties acting consistently and predictably as though they’ve mistaken the word “platform” for “bubonic plague contagion” is the biggest stumbling block to the involvement referred to by Tucker. You will recall that NA Confidential spent the run-up to the November, 2006 mid-term election begging for one, the other, or both local parties to take a stand on something – in fact, to declare a platform position on anything.

The sounds of faucets dripping, pins dropping and crickets chirping were the lamentable, but entirely predictable, response to our pleas.

If one favors the notion of politics as the art of the possible, and is committed to sensible, contemporary readings of progressivism and their application to revitalization and growth, what benefit can be derived from civic participation via hidebound political party structures that have been handily manipulated time and again by less principled time-servers within them – Tucker’s “currents” and “formers” -- to actively thwart change and to promote the ongoing entrenchment of locally vested interest?

It’s maddening. Both parties count reasonable, forward-looking people among their memberships, and yet neither seem capable of expanding these positives into the meaningful articulation of concepts as larger entities.

On the Democratic side, examples of this profoundly debilitating dysfunction are legion, and include the resistance of its ward heeling bloc to ordinance enforcement, the gang’s opposition to rental property reform, their pathological aversion to economic development and cultural diversity, and an accompanying genetic propensity to tout elementary school “logic” for solving university-level problems. Imagine Jethro Bodine manning the controls of a jetliner.

Local Republicans, already burdened with a regressive and theocratic national political strategy designed to elicit panicked escape, not passionate embrace, have responded to the city’s Democratic disarray by … by … little more than a shrug of shoulders and a pining glance at the GOP’s strengthening prospects outside the city’s gates. Only scarcely have they formed a credible opposition to Democratic hegemony, as underachieving as those decades have been.

However, the unaffiliated among us shan’t escape without self-criticism, and it is such grudging recognition that I gleaned from reading John Tucker’s Sunday morning column.

It’s true that a proportion of our seeming disorganization derives from the fact that it is far more time consuming to explain what one is “for” rather than to simply chant “no” and be against it, but it remains that in all places and times, reformers must do more than offer facts and evidence, for they must also find ways to convince people why it is preferable to treat with the unknown as opposed to the known, even if all seemingly are in agreement that the known has serially failed.

Make no mistake: I’m damned proud of the archive that has been compiled at this blogspot. We – including collaborators past and present – have covered a breathtaking, and by the standards of New Albany, groundbreaking, amount of platform and policy ground in a short period of time. We genuinely feel, as Ann at Diggin’ in the Dirt put it yesterday, that we’re on the right path:

I have said it before and will say it once more: I am looking for a leader, and so far, this town does not have one. The key ingredient this city needs is leadership, and it is sorely lacking. If it were not for the fact that I epitomize New Albany too, I'd be outta here.

But I'm not going anywhere, and there are a lot more people just like me. Things are going to change in this town, and if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the pollution. Which do you want to be?

In fact, we all know what must be done, and furthermore, we know that we must be the ones to undertake it – regrettably, without backing from our rudderless local political parties and their patronage assistance agencies, and truthfully, even if the end results probably will be setbacks, though temporary, from whence the grassroots network that we already know exists can be bolstered and widened, and the aura of inevitability brightened.

Anyone for an independent insurgency? It’s looking increasingly attractive to me.

As an example on very short notice – and I’d appreciate someone checking these purported facts, as I have a doctor’s appointment to catch – a quick glance at last fall’s election results showed that 1,086 people in New Albany’s 3rd city council district voted in the Indiana Secretary of State race. A couple dozen valid signatures from residents (2% of the above) on a petition of nomination along with the remaining necessary paperwork filed by July 2, 2007, would be sufficient for an independent candidacy in the district.

Like I’ve said before … we need a common color – blue and red having been taken, so I’d propose green (the color of the city flag) or perhaps the more compromising purple, as well as a shared basic reform platform, a commitment to educate, and with luck, some nimble strategic instincts. Care to discuss? I’ll be back later this afternoon.

12 comments:

Christopher D said...

I think that the biggest hurdle faced in getting new blood in the political system here is name recognition.
The amount of time that a person would haev to spend just getting their name known in the voting households in any particular district, or the city at large will take a HUGE time commitment, and not just in the months leading up to an election, but for quite sometime before hand.
Complacency has become much to common place in the mainstream voters minds, especially to those who are not oriented as to the true measure of the state of our city. They live their lives day in and day out, looking at their own lives, and how that life has been status quo for decades, and simply vote for the emcumbant with out realizing the stagnation in our political gene pool.

A Democrat in Floyd County said...

Yes, I agree 100%. Even after fulfilling all of those requirements, roadblocks still exist. Until you put your name out there, your family, your reputation, and your monies...no one can fully appreciate what it takes (pshew).

Anyways, when Randy Hubbard files for Mayor, things are going to go haywire for the Democrat party. Personally, I don't care at this point in time what party you may be. The very thing I am looking for is "integrity". I'm not going to commit one way or the other pubically, but if there is anything Randy Hubbard will bring to the plate is "integrity", and knowledge of the City (being Chief under Bob Real for 8 years and a life long resident, and running that jail down there and dealing with budgets. Awful lot of experience the Dems are facing.

One thing for sure, it will be interesting (to say the least)! Bring it on, a healthy debate by one and all of them...hopefully IUS will participate in the debate again.

Simply stating the reality of it all...according to my opinion...

Thanks.

Christopher D said...

Dem,
I am COMPLETE agreement with you on the Hubbard thing. He will definately bring intregity and accounability back into the mix. I personally would feel really sorry for anyone in government if they fail to do their job right with him at the wheel.

Roz Tate said...

Viva la revolution, New Albanian!!

SBAvanti63 said...

I have been more than a little surprised tonight by the lack of response, either positive or negative, to the initial post. I have written before, and firmly believe, that the key to change is exactly what Tucker and NAC have put forward - independent, non-partisan campaigns that focus on the issues, not the labels. The platform, as NAC stated, has been clearly defined. Of course, having said that, CSD and DEM have both keyed in on the crux of the matter - candidates with identity, reputation, time and money willing to step forward. It's my feeling, even as a relative newcomer to NA, that there is enough discontent, enough "worker bees", enough support systems through the neighborhoods, etc., to carry out an effective and successful campaign against both the "currents" and the "formers". The question becomes 'Who will be our David(s) to take on the party Goliaths?' Even if the quest seems (initially at least) quixotic in nature, we need individuals to step forward, mount their steed, grab their sling and move against the status quo. The time is now. Who will answer?

As for color NAC, I'd suggest the city's green. Green represents an environment that needs changing. Green represents the money we have or don't have. Green represents the essential product of the economic development we so badly need. Green can even symbolize the better grass in places like Clarksville and Jeffersonville where their governments have moved ahead in some of these areas. I'm sure there are more analogies, but this is a start.

John Alton said...

Independent Insurgency? It is a very attractive alternative. I've made a decision on running, but it's too lengthy for here.Please take a look at www.altonforcitycouncil.blogspot.com

Highwayman said...

I always tend to look at what we can do as opposed to what can't be done. Hurdles are just something to jump over, roadblocks something to go around, and mountains of paperwork something to tunnel through.

Neither do I see name/face recognition as a big issue. Many amoung us have been out "amongst 'em" if you will for quite sometime. In large part, the people we are trying to reach know who we are from our blogs, from
our business's, and from our participation in public affairs at many levels.

Most of us have computers to print out a few hundred flers of information from time to time. We can all write letters to the editor and I feel we'll get published.

The percentages of votes neded to make a showing, not necessarily win, is not that great considering voter turnout in New Albany
already. This is why I have been clamouring for months to get people to register and vote.

Winning is not everything, but putting forth the effort most certainly is!

The New Albanian said...

SBA63, green's my favorite, too. Your sybolic properties are important.

Highwayman - precisely. The notion of insurgency includes non-traditional ways of attacking the electoral equation. Indeed, it's about education and fertilizing the ground for future efforts as well as the current cycle.

I'm going to leave this one on the marquee a bit longer.

John Alton said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
John Alton said...

Lloyd, Thank you, and you are quite right. You're comments have reminded me why I got into this in the first place...to present new ideas, new views, untried ideas/alternative ideas that might lead to the one solution that actually works for this city. That is why I am skipping the primary. One "change" is that I will not run as a Democrat. I want to do a November Surprise and enter the race for the 4th District seat as an Independent in the General election.

Remember that Green is also the color of grass, and this is a campaign looking up from the deepest grassroots, and for it's growth to be successful requires occasional weeding.

Highwayman said...

Great analogy John! Green it is! (After approval by a majority of course)

New blood for New Albany said...

As a lifelong resident of New Albany I am happy to see others out there who share my opinion on local politics. I've always considered myself an Independant as my political views never found a home with either party completely, I agree Randy hubbard would do well as mayor but my vote goes to Larry Scharlow. We need new faces in office and Larry is as honest and sincere a man as you'll find anywhere, New Albany or anywhere else for that matter. The likes of Bill Schmidt and Doug England are the reason why New Albany has been left behind in the region. Another name that should be considered and although hasn't committed to running as of yet is John Dowell. He would run against Bill Schmidt as he did last election. I would hope that the voters in his district would have learned there lesson and not vote for Anna, oops.... I mean Bill again.