The simple answer is because I want to get away from the kind of dialog that is taking place on the Ridgefield Forum. It's the kind of political discourse that I believe obfuscates, dilutes, detracts & confuses the issues before Ridgefield.
What we need in this town are some new ideas -- from anyone -- regardless of party affiliation. It's like adding a new ingredient to a recipe; it can change the taste but not the dish.
I think party affiliation has come to mean monolithic thinking, i.e. a Republican is conservative, a Democrat is liberal, an Independent is.... ??? When one is un-affiliated, there are no expectations except, hopefully, common sense.
I don't think political parties are intrinsically a bad thing. I'm just not comfortable with the current political climate as represented by these organizations. I also think they are useful for individuals who are interested in political advancement. I'm not interested in that. In fact, if I run for Selectman, and if I won a seat, I doubt I would run for a second term. I think new blood is good.
Also in the equation is my life experience. Most of my adult working life was spent within news organizations. In those days, publicizing political affiliations was absolutely verboten. Many of us never belonged to political parties; some even stopped voting so we couldn't be identified with one side or another.
Did you know what political party Walter Cronkite, Peter Jennings, Mike Wallace or others belonged to when they were broadcasting? I doubt it. Well, I grew up in that world so it is more natural for me to belong to no political party than to belong to one.
And finally, about splitting the vote, you have to understand that the only consequence of my possible run as an un-affiliated candidate that I considered was, not how it might affect an existing political party's chance of winning a seat, but how I would feel about myself & my ability to represent everyone to the best of my ability.
What we need in this town are some new ideas -- from anyone -- regardless of party affiliation. It's like adding a new ingredient to a recipe; it can change the taste but not the dish.
I think party affiliation has come to mean monolithic thinking, i.e. a Republican is conservative, a Democrat is liberal, an Independent is.... ??? When one is un-affiliated, there are no expectations except, hopefully, common sense.
I don't think political parties are intrinsically a bad thing. I'm just not comfortable with the current political climate as represented by these organizations. I also think they are useful for individuals who are interested in political advancement. I'm not interested in that. In fact, if I run for Selectman, and if I won a seat, I doubt I would run for a second term. I think new blood is good.
Also in the equation is my life experience. Most of my adult working life was spent within news organizations. In those days, publicizing political affiliations was absolutely verboten. Many of us never belonged to political parties; some even stopped voting so we couldn't be identified with one side or another.
Did you know what political party Walter Cronkite, Peter Jennings, Mike Wallace or others belonged to when they were broadcasting? I doubt it. Well, I grew up in that world so it is more natural for me to belong to no political party than to belong to one.
And finally, about splitting the vote, you have to understand that the only consequence of my possible run as an un-affiliated candidate that I considered was, not how it might affect an existing political party's chance of winning a seat, but how I would feel about myself & my ability to represent everyone to the best of my ability.
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