First and foremost, GET OUT AND VOTE TOMORROW!
I’ve been asked about my voter recommendations for city council candidates for Fergus Falls. I have waited to see how the local media handled voter information about the candidates through the forums and published questionnaires.
The forums for the candidates from each ward which were held at City Hall were good efforts, but I felt the questions were pretty easy softballs that were lobbed toward the candidates. It would have been difficult for the candidates to strike out in the eyes of voters who are on any side of the issues (although there were still some responses that caught nothing but air!). There were a few answers which clearly dodged the concerns on voter’s minds, a couple of new candidates made strong statements which reflected their value to represent voters, and incumbent council members stood by their public positions on past/current concerns.
I thought the Daily Journal brought it up a notch, with some direct questions for which the answers should have at least given voters a hint about the candidate’s view on city government. I was specifically listening for the candidate’s values regarding local leadership. Again, it was easy to see which candidates dodged the issues which concern voters and which ones took a clear stand on representative leadership.
Local government is where the rubber hits the road for representative democracy. I have heard people say things like, “…representative government means that my only responsibility as a citizen is to vote for a candidate, then it’s the job of the elected representative to ‘make the hard choices’. The voters don’t have all the information the elected officials have”. That is simply irresponsible, and plain laziness. There is no excuse for voters not being fully informed about local/city issues, or even on state issues.
My picks for Fergus Falls City Council have each taken a solid position on true representative local government, and I think they have each demonstrated their commitment to serving Fergus Falls through tangible past service to the community. My choices for Fergus Falls City Council are:
Ward One: Stan Synstelien
Ward Two: Scott Rachels
Ward Three: Jerry Gullickson
Ward Four: Randy Synstelien
Daryl
Thanks, you mirrored my choices.
I am wondering if you plan on running in 2 year and joining your brothers. What is it that you and your cult are going to do for our city. You are not progressive enough to move us forward. With your family in charge and Rachels we will lose more people and families will not want to move here. What a family affair this will be. I suppose this is all in the name of God. God doesn’t like fools or tricker and that is what your family is doing to the citizens of fergus falls.
Joan,
I don’t know if I will run for city council in two years.
Your comment reveals that you have become accustomed to city officials being “in charge” and running roughshod over the voters, so I can understand your cynicism and bitterness. With the arrogance of the current city council, I know it will be hard for you to imagine being able to trust any city council who doesn’t walk lockstep with your personal views.
I don’t understand the reference to “your cult” – unless you’re talking about the significant majority of Fergus Falls (and MN, and USA) voters who sent a strong message at the polls yesterday. A more appropriate phrase would be “freedom-loving Americans”. That’s a group with which I’m proud to belong.
No, I was happy with who we had. It is your group that scares me. You may have people fooled, but the snake in sheeps skin usually does. I trusted the council we had. The family affair we have now is more deadly to the city. I know all about the back door meetings your group has had and who you have been talking with behind closed doors. Maybe people should realy no what our Mayor has been up to as well. You are a cult and your beliefs and freedom are only when it is good for you. You and your party should practice what you preach in you life and homes. Not just in public.
…I’m trying to picture a “snake in sheeps skin”…
In three of the four wards voters either rejected the incumbent who voted for the Ice Palace or voted for a new council member who was against the Ice Palace or kept in place an incumbent who voted against the Ice Palace. Only in ward three (3) did voters return a council member who voted for the Ice Palace and in that case returned Jay Cichosz to office ONLY because the opposition to Cichosz was too greedy or too stupid to realize that one of them should withdraw. At this hour Cichosz has won by only four (4) votes. Clearly the voters in Ward three did not want Cichosz returned to office but split their votes between the two opposition candidates.
So here in ward three we have an attorney who was appointed to his first term and gained his second in spite of the fact that the majority of voters in ward three clearly did not want to be represented by Jay Cichosz. How dense and self centered do you have to be to cling to a seat despite the wishes of the majority of those you supposedly want to represent.
The one salient conclusion in the election for city council members is that the majority of the voters in Fergus Falls voted against those who forced this idiotic Ice Palace upon the taxpayers. While voters were denied their right to vote on the Ice Palace itself, they have done the next best thing and rejected it by their vote in the city council race.
At this point any reasonably intelligent council member would see the writing on the wall. Only the village idiot could fail to discern the will of the people regarding this flagrant abuse of the peoples will regarding the Ice Palace. Personally I doubt it will make any impression what so ever on the remaining council members, when you get your marching orders from Ottertail Power and the Pebble Lake crowd you better keep marching in lockstep or you will find your invitations to service club luncheons and the “in” crowd, few and far between.
Chipmunk
Hey Daryl, I’ve checked Google images for several hours and can not find one image of a “snake in sheep’s skin”. I have found several “wolfs in sheep’s clothing”, “Snakes in the grass”, and “something’s rotten in Denmark” (which was about city government) but no snakes in anything but snakeskin. So I guess you are off the hook.
Chipmunk
hahaha, thank goodness… wait, did you try Bing?
i always thought that God watches over fools and babies.