Politicians or Public Servants – Decision 2013

    Last November I penned a column  entitled “Politicians or Public Servants – Putting Central First”.  Now 2013 is here and there will likely be quite a few election campaigns this year.  We are already seeing a State Representative race, could see a Metro Council race and will certainly see the beginnings of races for five City Council seats, Chief of Police and the Mayor of Central before 2013 ends.  Looking back at recent elections and the tactics used, and cringing at the thought of more of the same going forward, I have to ask the question: What does Central want, Politicians or Public Servants?

    There are three basic types of campaigns candidates typically run as they try to get your vote, Mudslinging, Sensational, and Issues.  I will submit right up front that Politicians will sling the mud and resort to sensationalism if they think that will get them elected.  And if that works, Central will be governed by Politicians and the Public Servants, the ones that just want to give back to the Central community, won’t run.  So Central, what do we want, Politicians or Public Servants?

The decision that Central has to make is what we will respond to and what we will tolerate.  Make no mistake, if Politicians believe Central will vote for the one that the least mud sticks to, the mud will fly.  If Central sends the signal that coming up with a clever and sensationalistic sound bite, whether it is actually true or not, gets votes, look for Politicians’ ads to be filled with one-liners designed to fool the public.  However, if Central clearly states that we WILL NOT be impressed with mud or fooled by slogans, the candidates, Politicians and Public Servants alike, will have to run on the issues and on their own merits…and wouldn’t that be a nice change?  So, Central, what do we want, Politicians or Public Servants?

    I submit that the voters of Central are in complete control of how these 2013 campaigns will be run.  Central, not the candidates, will dictate whether the mud flies, who tells white lies, and who just runs a clean campaign.  It is a simple three step process, but there is a catch.  At the first sign of mudslinging or sensationalism, call the candidate and tell them: 1)I won’t vote for you.  2) I won’t contribute to your campaign.  3) I will now call all my friends and neighbors and ask them to do the same.  I can guarantee that a half dozen quick calls from concerned citizens the first time a candidate starts acting like a Politician instead of a Public Servant will cause them to seriously rethink their campaign strategy.  But here’s the catch…we have to be willing to make that call to the candidates we oppose AND the candidates we support.  So, Central, what do we want, Politicians or Public Servants?