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Why would they do this to themselves?
Yesterday's post apparently caused quite a stir. It is what it is, and I may be proven to be wrong to have posted it, or it may prove not to be that big a deal. Either way, a conversation that I had with Saratoga Springs GOP Chairman John Herrick, along with another conversation I had earlier in the day with Police Chief Ed Moore, both served as reminders that being an elected official in Saratoga Springs, or any city, I would imagine, is no picnic.
Running for office here opens you to all sorts of criticism from all sides -- people from past lives with a bone to pick, other politicians, jerks like me, etc. I do truly believe that most people who run for office do so because they want to better their community, and believe that they have the skills to do so. Surely, that can be the only motivation, as they certainly (at least not in this community) aren't doing it for the money.
Even so, that civic spirit can only go so far, and many people would rather not run for office, than subject themselves and their family to the discomfort of public life. John Herrick pointed out that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats were able to field full slates of candidates in this election. I guess it's no mystery why.
Is it fair to subject these well-intentioned people to such unpleasantness? I think the answer is yes and no. Yes those seeking office should be vetted, that the public might know who they are and what they represent. But there is a limit. I guess we're still working on defining exactly what the limit is.
Running for office here opens you to all sorts of criticism from all sides -- people from past lives with a bone to pick, other politicians, jerks like me, etc. I do truly believe that most people who run for office do so because they want to better their community, and believe that they have the skills to do so. Surely, that can be the only motivation, as they certainly (at least not in this community) aren't doing it for the money.
Even so, that civic spirit can only go so far, and many people would rather not run for office, than subject themselves and their family to the discomfort of public life. John Herrick pointed out that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats were able to field full slates of candidates in this election. I guess it's no mystery why.
Is it fair to subject these well-intentioned people to such unpleasantness? I think the answer is yes and no. Yes those seeking office should be vetted, that the public might know who they are and what they represent. But there is a limit. I guess we're still working on defining exactly what the limit is.
posted by The Saratogian City Desk at
11:31 PM
7 Comments:
Andrew:
Uh oh! John Herrick called and complained that you published negative information about a Republican candidate. I guess you forgot that the Republicans think the Saratogian is the unofficial newspaper of the Republican Party. Negative comments about Democrats are encouraged, but anything less than complimentary about a Republican will draw an instant complaint.
More importantly it is the details. Like why is the city council giving a settlement to Officer Emanation (erin Dryers) sister because of an illegally blocked promotion by Chief Moore. In todays paper he states a 40% tax increase! How much has he cost the city in lawsuits? He even sued the city himself!
Also why is not the city talking about the tremendous County Sewer increase that must go into the 2010 Budget.
Because it feels so good when you stop.
Andrew J. Bernstein:
Uh oh! John Herrick is complaining. You must have forgotten that the Republican Party thinks the Saratogian is supposed to be the party's unofficial newspaper. Any deviation from the party line will be punished. If you're not more careful, the newspaper's advertising revenues will fall!
anon 8:01 and 7:21: Mr. Herrick brought forward some legitimate concerns, none of which had to do with advertising revenue. In the time that I have worked here, I have periodically had similar conversations with members of both parties, and see no reason why we should be labeled the "unofficial newspaper of the Republican Party" -- or any other party.
anon 11:18: For clarification, while Chief Moore referenced a possible 40% tax increase in 2010, that figure is not his calculation, but that of Commissioner of Finance Kenneth Ivins Jr. Moore was merely pointing out that with such high stakes, the City Council has several difficult decisions ahead of it.
Andrew J. Bernstein:
Perhaps you don't know about the Republican Party's connections to the Saratogian's advertising revenues because they were a lot more apparent before you joined the paper's staff. Tom Roohan no longer holds the formal title of Republican Party Chairman, but he's still a force in the party, and he's still the owner of Roohan Realty, one of the Saratogian's leading advertisers. Maybe Roohan doesn't call you very often (he leaves that to Herrick), but he still knows the publisher's phone number.
so does tommy, whats your point?
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