I'm still around...
Bill Jenkins asked what happened to Ray. I'm still here, but I must admit this new role as acting editorial page editor is far more time consuming than one might imagine...at least more than I did. I do appreciate McCommas and Rags holding the fort recently with a bit of back-and-back comments.
So...with a moment to come up for some air, let me take advantage of this to see if I can solicit a bit of help.
The Norwich Bulletin will be hosting five debates in four communities this month - Norwich, (two debates with City Council candidates), Colchester, Plainfield and Canterbury. The focus of the debates - which I will be moderating - will center primarily on issues involving development and public policy.
I'd like to include citizens' questions as well. So, if anyone out there would like to submit a question, I would be happy to pose that to the candidates.
So...with a moment to come up for some air, let me take advantage of this to see if I can solicit a bit of help.
The Norwich Bulletin will be hosting five debates in four communities this month - Norwich, (two debates with City Council candidates), Colchester, Plainfield and Canterbury. The focus of the debates - which I will be moderating - will center primarily on issues involving development and public policy.
I'd like to include citizens' questions as well. So, if anyone out there would like to submit a question, I would be happy to pose that to the candidates.
posted by Ray Hackett at 12:39 PM
4 Comments:
For Norwich City Council candidates and please be specific since glittering generalities tend to sound like 'just more of the same old song and dance.':
1. You are elected as one vote of seven. What are YOUR personal five greatest issues Norwich needs to address, and, with an eye on the entire Council, how do you make your Top Five a Council Top Five?
2. Months ago, the topic of charter revision came (back) to the front burner.
Where as a priority do you see charter revision in the context of continuing (if it exists) positive momentum in Norwich and what areas do you feel should be examined and what types of modifications, if any, might you suggest?
3. For the last three days, you couldn't swing a cat and not hit a story about Ethics in Norwich. Please share your definition of ethical behavior and outline how to make it municipal policy.
4. Everyone, Board of Education candidate or City Council candidate, always 'supports' education.
Realistically, how much education can and should Norwich taxpayers pay for and in looking at CMT and CAPT test results since the implementation of NCLB, how can all of us as a city better invest our tax dollars to better benefit our children and our city?
5. All of us want to expand our commercial tax base-just not where we live. What does your vision of Smart Growth entail, how would you implement it, and what criteria should we as a city be looking for in seeking commercial growth?
I have lots more, rattling around in my head, but this is a start.
Question, really for anyone seeking public office:
Voters select you as their representative, but how do you see your role?
Should you advocate for the positions and policies of those who selected you for office OR should we choose you to make decisions you feel are in our best interests (sometimes, contrary to how some (or more than some) of us may see an issue)?
I am running for Board of Selectman in Windham.
My answer is the 2nd.
Some answers are not popular and it’s for that reason that we have representative democracy rather than straight democracy where everything is decided in referendum.
We decide who will decide. Our representatives, me if chosen, decide what’s in the best interest of those he or she represents. It is to be expected that some decisions that such a person makes will not always be the most popular. It is also to be expected that upon review an incumbent who has faithfully done his or her job will be rewarded with anther term even if he or she has occasionally differed from majority opinion in the cause of the actual good results realized
Good to see you back Ray!!!
Why on earth is the Bulletin holding a debate in Plainfield? Cunningham is endorsed by BOTH the Republicans and the Democrats and is virtually guaranteed a win. He's doing a great job and will coast to reelection. There's nothing really controversial going on there now that Paul Sweet is gone and Dave Allard isn't around any longer for the voters to punish for doing what that town desperately needed (Lowe's and the new high school, someday the fools that voted him out in 2003 will realize he's the best thing that ever happened to Plainfield.)
There are MANY other interesting races going on in the Norwich area like Brooklyn, Griswold and Woodstock just to name a few.
Now that Santoro has completed his self-destruction in Canterbury, things are pretty well back to normal and Chris Johnson will have a pretty easy time winning there so once again, I'm wondering why the Bulletin chose Canterbury instead of other more competitive races for a debate.
Sorry but I don't have any question for candidates in towns where there really isn't much of a contest going on.
In Brooklyn, I guess I'd like to know what Roger Engle's opponent has to offer the voters as to why Brooklyn should elect him rather than sticking with Roger Engle who's done an outstanding job there. They did a radio debate on WINY last week and all Roger's opponent did was agree with him.
Same thing in Griswold, Anne Hatfield has done a fantastic job there and I don't see how anyone thinks they could do better than her.
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