Dear Editor,
Critical thinking isn’t meant to be comfortable; it’s meant to yield high quality actions and decisions.
“Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed — and no republic can survive.” John F Kennedy.
DJ’s opponent has called him a …”politician” as if the word, in it’s base form was an insult. As if professional aspiration is a bad thing; as though we should fault the entry-level employee for setting his sites on the CEO’s office. As if the American dream isn’t ours anymore.
Literally, a politician is someone who is experienced in the art or science of government, someone who knows how to shape public policy and decision-making.
Granted, there are a lot of politicians who are abusing their power, who are refusing to get to work on critical issues.
Fortunately for us, DJ understands the structure within which he can work, and has skillfully and expeditiously brought many community issues to the forefront for action, including, to name a few: the first citizen’s levy committee, the emergency cold weather shelter, and the citizens’ most recent plea for a diversity commission.
I know that DJ Wilson routinely asks questions that make us uncomfortable. We often chafe when he talks, and he habitually pulls the scabs off our intellectual sores.
But frankly, I’m not looking for a warm fuzzy friendly go-a-long to get-a-long personality to pry my city out of the mess it’s in; I’m looking for someone who can skillfully navigate and execute a plan, who can organize the citizenry to find their voice, and who can create enough turbulence that people are forced to take note.
So, I say, keep on keeping on DJ – Truly, NO-ONE works harder for Edmonds!
Regards,
Kerry Ayers
Edmonds
Three points of response:
1. “We often chafe when he talks”– True, because he talks way too much, repeating himself over and over and monopolizing all council discusions. Boring!!!
2. “who can organize the citizenry” — If he is such a great organizer, how come not one single other member of the Council has endorsed him???
3. The Herald was absolutely right endorsing Bloom and by also suggesting if elected Wilson should cease involving himself in political intrigues!
I agree that there’s nothing wrong with being a politician. To be a good one, two skills come to mind. A politician must be persuasive and must be willing to compromise when persuasion falls short. Unfortunately, DJ is no longer able to persuade the rest of Council, and he seems unwilling to compromise even when he is alone.
You need look no farther than his statements against the propositions. Our streets are visibly crumbling and we have the best rated police department in Snohomish County. DJ concludes that it is wrong to spend more money on streets until we hire more police. DJ is against a levy for the general fund because it’s not enough money and 3 years isn’t permanent enough – he seems out of touch with the times. On two of the propositions, he could not find a single citizen to join him in his responses. DJ shows himself to be unpersuasive, uncompromising, and unable to work with others.
I have long admired DJ’s intellect, his willingness to explain his positions, and his hard work. Joan Bloom appears to have those same qualities, but without the baggage that DJ carries. That’s why she’s getting my vote.
(1) Council endorsements are all about “making friends”: I endorse you and you vote for my cause. No thanks! DJ does not play that game.
(2) DJ may repeat himself but, it is only because he wants the citizens to know exactly what his position is. He puts his position on the record and wears it on his sleeve. (BTW, Mr. Martin, on this point, you are the pot calling the kettle black .)
(3) Most of the people who do support DJ are working people with small children, like me. We do not have an infinite about of time to attend all the council meetings or show up everywhere, like Mr. Martin or Mr. Wambolt do. We actually have a life. For those of us young families, we simply do not have time to take on an additional cause. So, the fact that DJ had no co-signer’s on the con side of the propositions means nothing. I voted no on all of them. DJ represents working families in Edmonds — NOT THE “In” Crowd.
(4) Even if, arguendo, DJ carries baggage, it is because he does not play with the “In” Crowd. Politics in Edmonds has become like high school. You’re either popular or you’re a Geek. Well guess what, in high school I was a Geek (and still am). The popular people did what it took to keep their “friends”. The Geeks didn’t care about appearances — hence the name.
I proudly vote for DJ Wilson because I know he represents me — not just the popular crowd.
Ms. Sinha, I agree with your points supporting DJ, but I do have a life!
It’s often said that if you don’t do anything, you won’t make any mistakes. You could also say if you don’t do anything, you won’t have any baggage.
I get irritated at times with DJ, but the bottom line is that there are more positives about him than there are negatives. And DJ is the logical council member to be Council President in 2012. The presidency rotates each year. There will be no other candidate who has adequate experience that can provide the required leadership.
Ron, I appreciate your point about mistakes. Sometimes to make progress we need to take risks. And some of those risks will not succeed. I wish more people understood that. Since you come from the technology industry, you might appreciate this quote:
The way to succeed is to double your error rate.
Thomas J. Watson, Founder of IBM
I just didn’t want to pass up the chance to wholeheartedly agree with you!
Thank you, Joe. I had not heard that quote before. Coming from Thomas Watson, it obviously makes sense.
The last CEO that I worked for use to say: “Go ahead and take risks that result in mistakes, but make the mistake a learning experience”.
D.J. has my vote because he can be a super star for Edmonds and for Washington State politics. In order for that to happen D.J. must tone it down. He has lost his support of fellow council members by being abrasive and condescending in public and private meetings. You can only let other people know how incompetent they are so often before they turn against you. Talent alone will not suffice. We need cohesion and consensus to keep Edmonds rolling in the right direction. D.J. has the skills, the ability and the education. The question is can he can he work within our system? I believe he can .
We will soon see.
Ps. My respect for Joan Bloom by the way has grown significantly.
Dave Page
D.J. It is hard to to always support you as you stir the pot sometimes to much,but Edmonds needs somebody with experience and who is not afraid to speak up and challange your colleages. So in the end even though I appreciate Joan Bloom and how she has run her campaign and alot of her ideas, I will support you as I feel you are what Edmonds needs right now
DJ Wilson has my vote and all my support. I see in him passion for what I think is the real work of our city council. I see in him a thoughtful advocate in the important job he has representing us in difficult times.
DJ is the father to the most sensitive, thoughtful little 5 years old boy I know and the father to the most persistent, graceful and appreciative little 3 years old girl one can ever meet.
I know them both, they are my grandchildren and they could not have a better adult model than their father. They are who they are because of who he is (and a little bit because of who their mom is:)
The city of Edmonds is fortunate to have such a young city council member work so hard for all the citizen living there.
Mr. Tveidt,
As the saying goes … “The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree!” I have met your darling little grandchildren. They are all you say! I wholeheartedly support both of their parents in their quest for civic involvement! DJ is quite simply the best, most qualified and experienced candidate for City Council. My vote is in for DJ!
It’s certainly true that DJ is very active, in fact, one could easily say he is hyperactive, sometimes in nefarious endeavors he should clearly have avoided such as the Stephanie Cole caper. He supported Mayor Haakenson’s scheme to close Yost pool and reduce Senior Center funding. Now he tells us he is a “strong” supporter of both, yeah, right DJ. Also, he willfully neglected his duties and lost our city’s important seat on the Community Transit Board.
No thank you DJ, Joan Bloom clearly deserves this Council seat.
DJ, You also have my vote and support. I have seen your passion in person and appreciate your willingness to ask those uncomfortable questions. I also know that you listen to your constituants. I appreciate your dedication to your job as a coucil member.