If you have been reading my blog for any period of time you probably know that I have been critical of things going on in my local community of Lockland, Ohio. Yesterday we had elections for two seats on the council, and two seats for the school board.
For the school board there were four choices. Mark Morrissey, Misty Cromer, Colleen Carter, and Janiece Mason. Of these four Colleen Carter and Janiece Mason were incumbents. If you have read any of my previous posts I believe that they were part of a corrupt school board that needs radical change. As such they will never get my vote. I voted for Misty Cromer because she and my wife became friends while my wife was involved with the PTO. She has several children going to school in Lockland right now, and she is also a graduate of Lockland High school. I feel that because of this she has a high desire to see the school succeed. Personally I still feel that the school should be incorporated into a larger district such as the Princeton School District, but I will give people the chance to save their alma matter if they can do it without blindly throwing money at the problem. This leads me to the final choice who received my vote Mark Morrissey. I voted for him for one reason, and one reason only. He has made a campaign promise to not ask for money for the school until other things are done to solve problems that exist there. This struck me as very odd because he also ran under the Democrat ticket. What a Democrat who has promised to NOT ask for money? Has Hell frozen over? I'll give him one term to see what he is able to accomplish for the schools.
Now the Council seats. I feel that this election was a little suspect. We were only allowed to vote for two seats, however there were three incumbents. Ron Johnson has been a councilman for years, and while he is also a Democrat I believe that he has done alot of good for the community. I voted for him for this reason. I also voted for Donnie Schilling because he is not a Democrat and believes that changes are needed to help Lockland become a community that can attract young people back. I agree with this because I'm watching the community literally die around me as life long Lockland Residents are dying in their homes. The community is becoming a collection of rentals run by scum lords who care nothing about the area. The people they rent to have no ties to the area because they are only renting. This is bad for the area, and I believe it needs to be changed. The third person involved in this election was Adam Raby. He was not up for election specifically because he took over his father's seat because of failing health. The reason he ran was to attempt to drive Donnie Schilling out of Council. They did succeed in this, but I have some questions now. Doesn't this actually mean that there is a third seat available? The fourth member running was Greg Strole, and he was attempting to run along side of Donnie Schilling to help make some changes in our community, but he came in at a distant fourth.
I feel that the Democrats were able to run a good campaign because you did not hear one name without the other. They were able to brand themselves as a pair, and they were part of an organized Democrat campaign. I feel that Donnie Schilling and Greg Strole were not as successful because they did not brand themselves in such a way as to be able to fight the way the Democrats branded themselves. They both ran independent campaigns as Independent Candidates. I agree with them, but in order to 'win some things must change.
I have offered my time and effort to help Donnie Schilling in any way that I am capable. However, I am planning to make a run for a seat when the time comes, and here are some things I am planning on doing differently. I will not run as an Independent, but I will also not run as a Republican. I plan on running as a Reagan Conservative. This branding fits my ideas better than any other, and I feel that it fills a void that exists in Lockland right now. Some people will not vote for anything other than their party, and the only organized party in the area is the Democrat Party. These people will only support Democrat candidates not matter what. That leave open those people who are looking for change. I believe that this group of people will take a refreshing look at my branding as a Reagan Conservative. I also feel that I must start much earlier than others and organize community meetings so that I can learn exactly what people are looking for, and also let them know what some of my ideas are so that they get to know me better.
I believe that we must bring in more businesses into Lockland, and offer them tax incentives for employing residents of Lockland. I believe that the size of Government must remain small and not impact the daily lives of the people. I believe that a successful government will fund the services that are required for the people (Fire, Police, Water, Trash), but also not be noticed by the people. If people are aware of Government, then that Government is probably grown too large and bloated to be effective for the community.
I am looking for people (both inside and outside of Lockland) to post ideas of what they are looking for when electing people for City Council Seats, Mayorship, or any other local community office. Do you believe some of the same ideas I'm giving here, or am I missing the point? I feel that I can be an effective official, but right now I lack experience and that can both be a good and bad thing. I never want to be viewed as a government insider. I always want to actually serve the people, and I'm willing to lose my job to do that. What else makes an effective elected official? Please comment and provide your insights here.
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