Editor:
While some positions in government are partisan, those for council and mayor of Edmonds are not. This means as a voter, I have the opportunity to learn about each candidate based on their merits, experience and public statements rather than simply knowing their political party affiliation.
City government manages the needs of a city of people. Making decisions regarding city services, reviewing and proposing budgets, being updated by city staff on capital projects and listening to residents on city issues are a few of the many responsibilities entrusted to our mayor and council.
I believe that when it comes to city business, elected officials should focus on what’s best for Edmonds rather than discerning their actions based on the platform of a political party or organization. Parties don’t live in Edmonds. People do.
So, does this mean I wouldn’t vote for any Edmonds’ candidates with partisan endorsements or support from lobbying organizations? Not necessarily, but I am leery of a candidate with endorsements that lean heavily to one side.
Why? It’s easy to get support from people and groups you strongly align with on partisan policy. And if you know that a certain percentage of voters will vote for you simply because you have the support of your party or lobbying groups, you aren’t standing on your merits as an individual.
I’m tired of partisan politics in Edmonds, so I’m supporting a candidate who is willing to have the tough conversations with people, ask the right questions, listen to opposing views and strive to bring as many people to the table as possible to figure out what’s best for Edmonds without seeking partisan endorsements.
Yes, it’s much harder to move beyond your inner circle and reach out to a broader scope of people to gain their support. It takes work, but that’s the sign of an effective city leader — someone willing to put partisan endorsements aside in favor of standing as an individual and reaching out to all the residents of Edmonds.
This is one of the reasons why I am supporting Neil Tibbott for Mayor of Edmonds. He has the endorsements of individuals who have worked with him within the city on city matters rather than a list of partisan endorsements. I have also had the opportunity to closely work with Neil Tibbott while he helped establish the current Citizens Housing Commission, and have seen firsthand how he works to bring people together by listening and taking action. I believe that he is the right choice for Edmonds.
Rebecca Anderson
Maplewood neighborhood
It is interesting that you should make this particular point to support Mr.Tibbot. In this climate we are all weary of partisan politics but in a local election such as this one, putting too much emphasis on what party a candidate is affiliated with is overlooking the fact that any candidate is indeed capable of choosing on the issues rather than simply by following the party line.
Don’t overlook that candidates’ endorsers are perhaps even more important than party, as they also typically constitute political affiliations or more. Finding out about Edmonds past politics (how I hate to use Good Ole Boy), its history and ramifications, is more difficult than viewing the more obvious partisan associations but is arguably more important. With great effort, one can determine the past positioning of the endorsers of candidates, their goals and what their business associations are, this last especially with difficulty. Oh inference! We can’t know the content of unrecorded verbal interactions, of which there are many, and nothing except campaign rhetoric will be available as sound bytes. For many voters, it may simply boil down to deciding if you want a bigger denser Edmonds or a quieter, smaller town feel. Mr. Tibbot’s endorsers seem to be proponents of the former over the latter.
Cheers,
Cam
Good observations Cam. After you sort thru all the character assassination, assertions of law breaking and accusations of unfitness for office by many individuals on the pro Tibott side of this equation, the election pretty much comes down to a choice of passing the torch to the business as usual status quo candidate or giving someone with a little more broad based appeal a crack at manning the helm at City Hall. The sad thing about all this negative propaganda about Nelson, is that Tibott is a good guy with a demonstrated ability to listen to the broad base when the chips are down. I’ve criticized Tibott for his last minute change on the Connector to save his election, but the fact is there is a good side of this that he had the guts to make the change in the interest of the greater good of Edmonds. I’d like to see Nelson win, but I don’t think it is any sort of disaster if he doesn’t. I think Nelson’s detractors have hurt Tibbott rather than helping him. I’m a little surprised that Tibbott has not come out with a disavowal of some of these remarks that have been made in his behalf.