That’s All She Wrote

 

Four years ago today, I wrote my very first post for this blog, about the uncontested D5 Council “race”.  I said:

According to the way the city tabulates votes, Eddy received 97% of the vote (3,069 votes out of 3,167 completed).  However, he really got 54% of the vote if you count those who left their ballots blank.  (3,069 votes out of 5,669 total ballots). 

Imagine what would have happened had we gotten a decent challenger in this race.  I certainly hope Councilor Eddy does.

Well, I guess we all know now.

I’d like to thank everyone who ran.  Whether I agree with you or disagree with you, whether I voted for you or not, you put yourself out there: getting enough signatures to appear on the ballot, knocking on doors, appearing at candidate forums.

Whether you won or lost, whether you’re ecstatic or disappointed or indifferent, we’re all in this together.  You don’t need to be an elected official to have a voice or make a difference.  Get out there and make our corner of the world a little better.

Please vote

I can rarely think of a city election I have been less enthusiastic about.

In most years, Mike’s analysis of lawn signs is a highlight of the political season; this year, it’s the only highlight.

We live in a city where lack of a web presence is par for the course for many politicians, and where many incumbents’ list of accomplishments reads like a combination of the city manager’s self-evaluation and the average day of a DPW customer service rep.

You can vote for up to six at-large City Council candidates, and up to six School Committee candidates.  You can vote for one mayoral candidate and one district council candidate.

You can leave as many spots on your ballot blank as you wish; you can vote for one candidate or no candidates.

The way our city charter was written, write-in votes are not allowed, so, sadly, “Screw it, I’m voting for Nicole Apostola” is not an option for anyone.

If you don’t know where to vote, you can find out on the city website. 

And after you’ve voted, please consider completing this short survey about Worcester elections. [Note that you do not need to complete any questions on the survey, especially about address, if you don’t wish to].

I’m not much given to endorsements on this blog.  If you read this blog, chances are you live in Worcester, you’re a voter, and you’re probably better-informed than I am.

Which means you’re voting for Tracy O’Connell Novick, who is thoughtful, hardworking, and a great advocate for students and teachers.

After the break in this post is every piece of political ephemera I’ve been able to get my hands on or cajole someone into scanning for me.  Enjoy!

No to shelters/sign-holding, yes to residents of parks

Perhaps you’ve seen Bill Eddy’s latest campaign mailing:

Using this mailing, let’s sum up what he’s against and what he’s for.

Against:

• sign-holding
• homeless shelters sited in his district

We’d best not find Mr. Eddy or his supporters waving Eddy signs by intersections, or he’ll/they’ll be in violation of Mr. Eddy’s beloved “panhandling” ordinance.  And Mr. Eddy jumped on the anti-shelter bandwagon rather hastily after an angry mob of his constituents packed South High in opposition to a temporary SMOC shelter on Main Street.

For:

• Webster Square residents
• Columbus Park & Hadwen Park residents

Since this a targeted mailing, it omits how much more Mr. Eddy “stands up” for the more affluent areas of the west side.  But let us assume that at some point or another he may have “stood up” for the poorer folks in the Webster Square area.  Who, exactly, are the “residents” of Hadwen Park — Squirrels?  Birds?  Bugs?  As long as it’s not members of  Occupy Worcester and/or a stray pit bull or two, they should be all set.

Here’s a peek at what he’s sending to his more affluent constituents:

He’s a bit clearer about who his constituents are in this mailing — he needs not invoke the names of  parks or vaguely remembered topography as he does for his mailing to the poor folks.  In this mailing he just trots out quotes from anyone he figures might have lots of vote-casting friends.

What’s consistent is his persistent belief that one can stand by the side of the road with a sign. 

Despite what the mailer says, “Anyone” can’t stand out with a sign — thanks in large part to Councilor Eddy and the eight other councilors who voted with him.

Campaign Lit Disasters

Worcester voters (or a small subset thereof) head to the polls today. If they’re anything like me, they’ve gotten some campaign literature in the past few days.

Steve Buchalter’s mailing is, by far, the most professionally designed of the flyers sent this weekend.  However, he continues using creepy pictures of himself (except for the one with his kids, in which he seems less tan).  The message of “cleaning up the mess we call government” is supposed to highlight his business experience in vacuuming and dusting, but he never really tells us what, exactly, the mess is and how he’s going to clean it up:

Bill Eddy gets a lot of endorsements from various community leaders you may have heard of if you live in D5:

And he subsitutes the usual picture of the candidate-with-his-wife-and-children with a picture of himself next to a slide.  It was nice of the campaign staff to capture a picture of the youthful Councilor Eddy sliding Matchbox cars down the slide, but — for future reference — it’s never a good idea to wear white on a playground:

Konnie’s literature was huge — at full 8.5″ x 11″ — and an attempt to be featured on multiple blogs (Photoshop Disasters for the sign on the Mayor’s office; the “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks for “All Day”):

Great picture of Konnie on the back, and nothing says “full-time mayors bring attention to detail” like misspelling your own name in big letters (“Kostantina” needs one more n):

My favorite thing about the Joe Petty mailer is that he takes the politician-with-an-elderly-person picture to a whole new level.  Joe doesn’t seem like he has a practical joker side, but witness him giving the lady in the bottom right corner a handshake with a surprise buzzer:

On the other side, Joe says that we’ve made real progress as a city “because we have leaders who put personalities aside.”

Insert Quiet Man joke here.

Get out there and vote, folks.  And remember — if you’re unhappy with your choices, you can do one of two things:

• Submit a blank ballot.
• Vote for all the Irish names.