Earlier today, you learned why I'm choosing not to vote for at-large council aspirant Brad Bell.
What I'm saying: Sorry, Brad Bell, but I cannot support your at-large candidacy.
I simply will not cast a vote in favor of any candidate failing to grasp the efficacy and sheer transformative potential of complete streets in New Albany, of which two-way traffic is an important core component, and yet not the only one.
In like fashion, and speaking only for myself, unequivocal support for two-way/complete streets and overall street grid reform in New Albany -- in summary, Jeff Speck's downtown street network proposals in their entirety -- constitutes my yardstick for determining candidate support on May 5.
un·e·quiv·o·calˌənəˈkwivək(ə)l/adjective
leaving no doubt; unambiguous ... "an unequivocal answer" ... synonyms: unambiguous, unmistakable, indisputable, incontrovertible, indubitable, undeniable
Of the nine at-large candidates for council, I see three who qualify by this standard: Democrats John Gonder (incumbent) and Hannegan Roseberry, as well as Republican Al Knable. Of the remaining at-large contestants on the Democratic ledger, there is the incumbent Shirley Baird; challengers James Garner and Adam Keeler; and Bell (who plainly does not "get" it in the least).
GOP at-large hopefuls Bob Hornung and David Barksdale have not made their views known, insofar as I can tell. They still might. I'm listening.
Gonder and Roseberry have qualified for my vote in the primary, which is what matters to me today. Knable also has done so; in fact, he was perhaps the first of any to make his position known. He has my vote in November.
If you are not mentioned in the above paragraph and feel that I've overlooked something, please let me know. It might help me make a choice. Just remember this word: Unequivocal.
Democrats Cliff Staten and Greg Phipps (incumbent) are running unopposed for council in the 6th and 3rd districts, respectively. The 6th is my "pizzeria & pub" district, and I'd vote for Staten if permitted. The 3rd is my "home" district, and while Phipps admittedly has consistently espoused street grid reform, his recent phantom (and unattributed) endorsement of King Gahan the Silent's non-position on streets, accompanied by an ongoing refusal to answer constituent questions about it, are very dismaying, to say the least. While it can be no more than a symbolic gesture, I will withhold my vote from Phipps in the primary. It is my hope that he returns to reliability by November.
As for mayor, the only candidate who has been open and forthright about Speck advocacy is me, running as an independent, but my name will not be on the ballot until November.
I am unaware of Republican Kevin Zurschmiede's thoughts on the matter. He is running unopposed during the primary.
David White, a Republican running as a Democrat, obviously has crawled into bed with New Albany's trucking and heavy industrial civic value extractors, led by Padgett Inc., which is filing suit against the city to preserve the sacred interstate highways otherwise known as Market, Spring and Elm. Let's merely say that this is not at all encouraging.
And, as already should be painfully clear to inhabitants of the moon, and occupants of yurts somewhere in the Mongolian steppe, the incumbent mayor, Jeff Gahan, has prevaricated, obfuscated and utterly refused to take a public position on Speck's sorely needed plan, thus bizarrely kneecapping with supreme cowardice the very same project that people like Phipps have committed so much personal time and political capital in espousing.
In some ways, I'd cherish the chance to vote for White in the primary, if for no other reason than as a counterweight to Gahan. Alas, White has refused all entreaties to take streets seriously and get genuinely principled about Speck.
If you're for Speck, then the only logical choice in the mayoral primary is "none of the above," and withholding your vote, as I'll be doing.
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