Reminder: There will be a candidate forum for the runoff election for city council, Place 5. The forum will be at City Hall, Tuesday, November 29th at 7:00. Candidates Jackie Black and John Hoffman.
Paco may have more details—I think the League of Women Voters will moderate.
How did this go last night? I was working and couldn’t make it. Did we learn anything we didn’t already know?
Lots of platitudes from both sides. The only point of contention I heard was when Jackie Black stated categorically that all candidates sought funding from the firemen’s PAC. John Hoffman convincingly refuted that.
There might have been a slight dig at Doug when Jackie frowned on the idea of candidates receiving donations from current elected officials. She didn’t explain why this is in any way a problem, though.
Yes, it was probably a dig, but I don’t see why. I have written extensively on my political contributions and activism on this website and before that on KCL.
I have always given money to local candidates whom I support before I was elected to office and after. The local city council/mayor candidates I have given money to include Pat McGrail (twice), Jim Carson and Terry Barker. There might have been another donation or two that I don’t remember, but they were small, less than $50. I’ve also had political signs in my yard nearly every contested election cycle since I moved to town—local, state and presidential. I used to have a neighbor two doors down who would put her Democrat signs in my yard as a prank, so I would return the favor by putting Perry or GWB signs in her yard. Sadly, she moved back to California; we miss her and her family a great deal.
I have also have given money to the RNC, the Texas GOP, local State Rep candidates, local US Rep candidates and Presidential candidates. The last being Fred Thompson in 2004.
I have also block-walked for Pete Sessions and Joe Barton and was a poll watcher for Pete Sessions during his first campaign for congress. I also worked for Ronald Reagan’s campaign in 1983-4 in Illinois, working booths at county fairs handing out bumper stickers and campaign buttons. I also stuffed envelopes for Jim Carson, putting his single spaced three-page manifesto neatly into pre-addressed envelopes.
They say politics can make strange bedfellows; I voted for Obama in the primaries and caucused for him as well, actually becoming the chair of the caucus, after I told the neighbor I referenced earlier that what this unorganized mess needs is a Republican to lead the way. Someone overheard me, nominated me to chair, and I won. I was also appointed a county delegate, but decided my Saturday was better spent doing something else than spending the day in an auditorium full of Democrats. I actually wrote about my plans on Keller City Limits http://kellercitylimits.com/?p=477
I also need to point out that in the multiple times I have myself run for office, from President of the Student Body at the college I was attending, to city council, many people have given me both time and money. Without either, a campaign is dead in the water. Some people look down on the process of money in politics; I don’t. It is what allows candidates to get their word out and gain traction, especially in local elections. Without that money, you get a lot of people elected from the good ole’ boy network, and there has been a lot of that in Keller’s past. Campaigns in Keller can cost a lot of money, my last one cost over $10,000.00. Most of that was donated by friends, family and supporters, the rest was self-funded. Without their donations, I wouldn’t have won. By giving money to John or to another local candidate, it is paying that support forward.
I have tried to stay away from talking about John’s campaign on this site, as it is his campaign not mine. And in fact I’ve written once about my support of his, after the Keller Citizen reported on my donation. If I really wanted to affect the outcome of the election, I could have turned this site into a quasi-campaign site, but didn’t. It is up to John, and any future candidate whom I support, to get his or her own message out.
I also think that John can formulate his own ideas and campaign strategy, after all, he is in the business of public relations. Watching his performance last night on TV made me feel very small compared to his ability to express his vision for Keller. I only wish I was as accomplished a speaker and thinker. Did he say some things I didn’t agree with last night? Yes he did. Are they deal killers for me? No, because I think that the only person I agree with 100% of the time is myself, and sometimes that isn’t even true.
Having served on multiple city boards for 16 years, I have become accustomed to city administration over the years and what type of individual it takes to stand up and take a position on key city issues. I strongly feel John Hoffman is the right person for the council seat. I found it a disparaging comment from his opponent calling out (or getting in a dig as noted above) council and appointed officials in the city for financially supporting a candidate. Heck, I’m a city of Keller of taxpayer first and foremost, and if I deem a candidate worthy of my financial support there is nothing whatsoever wrong about that. Shallow comments like this are what stand out from one candidate to the other.
Thanks again to Paco for getting the forum put together. Regardless of politcal affiliation one can truly see first hand who is the most qualified candidate.