Campaign Hdqts open Sat Oct 22, 9:30 > 11:00. Same Place: The Marketplace @ Copps Hill. Wanna lawn sign? Soon it will be a collector's item. Stop by to get one absolutely free w my thanks.
So it was a fun day. People stopped by to say hi, to pick up a lawn sign or two, to take some palm cards to spread out to their neighborhoods. Met some new people, had some substantive conversations. It's amazing how lots of different people are coming to the same conclusion -- well, all except one guy -- more on him later -- that we need some different thinking.
I'm not sure I'm the answer but a lot of folks simply seem dissatisfied w the status quo; not just about the BoS but leadership in gen'l. Maybe it's just standard griping that I'm not used to hearing but these were thoughtful people who just didn't understand the direction in which we seem headed.
One insightful comment: this person moved his/her family to Ridgefield, not because the schools were so good (since all the schools in the DRG are good) but because the house prices & taxes were lower, i.e. one could get more bang for their buck in Ridgefield but this person observed the disparity seems to be disappearing. Example: the doubling of taxes over the last 8-10 yrs.
After Campaign Hdqtrs, I took Stella home to rest because she wasn't feeling well, had my my car washed & went to Stop 'n Shop where I met & handed out about 100 cards. Most people were very receptive -- not necessarily to my candidacy -- but to the fact that I had simply decided to run for office. Very nice but two guys typified the range of reactions:
Guy #1 said to me "Oh, you're the anti-govt' guy. I recognize you. That's good I'm voting for you. My psychiatrist told me that if one is dogmatic one is also catatonic."
Guy #2 asked me why I was running as an un-affiliated candidate. "Because I don't like politics" I replied. With that he returned my palm card with the following "If you don't like politics, you shouldn't be running for office." and marched in to do his grocery shopping. However, he couldn't look me straight in the face when he walked out with a full shopping cart 10 minutes later.
So it was a fun day. People stopped by to say hi, to pick up a lawn sign or two, to take some palm cards to spread out to their neighborhoods. Met some new people, had some substantive conversations. It's amazing how lots of different people are coming to the same conclusion -- well, all except one guy -- more on him later -- that we need some different thinking.
I'm not sure I'm the answer but a lot of folks simply seem dissatisfied w the status quo; not just about the BoS but leadership in gen'l. Maybe it's just standard griping that I'm not used to hearing but these were thoughtful people who just didn't understand the direction in which we seem headed.
One insightful comment: this person moved his/her family to Ridgefield, not because the schools were so good (since all the schools in the DRG are good) but because the house prices & taxes were lower, i.e. one could get more bang for their buck in Ridgefield but this person observed the disparity seems to be disappearing. Example: the doubling of taxes over the last 8-10 yrs.
After Campaign Hdqtrs, I took Stella home to rest because she wasn't feeling well, had my my car washed & went to Stop 'n Shop where I met & handed out about 100 cards. Most people were very receptive -- not necessarily to my candidacy -- but to the fact that I had simply decided to run for office. Very nice but two guys typified the range of reactions:
Guy #1 said to me "Oh, you're the anti-govt' guy. I recognize you. That's good I'm voting for you. My psychiatrist told me that if one is dogmatic one is also catatonic."
Guy #2 asked me why I was running as an un-affiliated candidate. "Because I don't like politics" I replied. With that he returned my palm card with the following "If you don't like politics, you shouldn't be running for office." and marched in to do his grocery shopping. However, he couldn't look me straight in the face when he walked out with a full shopping cart 10 minutes later.
I thought about his comment for a while & tried to understand why politics was mandatory for serving as a volunteer on the board of selectmen. I thought shouldn't reason, logic, common decency & common sense count for more? Maybe I'm naive.
Oh, well. I'm taking the day off tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment