City Elections
For the first time in over 50 years Sioux City is going to elect a Mayor this fall. Since the 1950s we’ve been going with some odd system where one of the City Council members gets appointed Mayor by the other City Council members in some sort of slimy political-insider love-fest. It was a system that produced odd results from time to time. But now we get to elect someone of our very own choosing!
So who’s running? Well, most of the City Council members threw their hat into the ring, feeling, evidently, that it’s their birthright as City Council members to hold the Mayoral post. Eleven percent of the registered voters in the city turned out to vote in the primary, so now we’re down to two finalists.
Current City Council member Brent Hoffman is going against political outsider Mike Hobart. I’m voting for Hobart. Not for any mystical political reason, but rather because I think the city has been headed the wrong direction lately. So I’m voting for the guy who wasn’t there when bad decisions were made.
There is one City Council position open this election cycle as well. Incumbent Jason Geary is being challenged by Aaron Rochester. Again, I have no idea what their political leanings are, but I’m voting for Rochester — simply because I’d like to see change in my neighborhood.
If you want change, vote for Hobart and Rochester next Tuesday.
Art at it’s Finest
I doodle sometimes when I’m on the phone. The other day I started doodling a duck. But, really, it looked more like a nice horsey than a duck, so I put a tail on it and called it a horse. A few minutes later someone walked past. “Nice rocket ship,” they said.
Have I mentioned I’m the Art Director at the print shop? How sad is that?
My mother’s horse drawings always resembled Dino the dinosaur. Always.
Is THAT where you got the picture of the duck you sent me?
I respectfully disagree with your city election opinions. Having an “open” election for mayor is a waste of taxpayers’ time and money, and may actually get a lesser qualified candidate than having the council select from themselves.
The council members talk among themselves to determine who has the time and desire to do what is required of a mayor (the mayor has no more power than a council person; they just have to go talk to services clubs more often).
Remember, these people were already democratically/popularly voted into office. They are in effect our legislators making a congressional appointment.
Voting for Hobart and Rochester because they are the opposition to Hoffman and Geary is also shaky. I don’t like either of them personally, but it’s either the devil you know or the devil you don’t know. I’ve heard that Rochester is even “righter” than Geary, and a little more “God is Great” if you know what I mean (Cornerstone Cult). I don’t know anything about Hobart, other than his grammar sucks and he has difficulty answering the questions he’s asked.
Needless to say, I’m not wasting four miles of in-town driving to vote next week.
Leonesse — Dino rocked!
Beeker — No, I’m not sure where that duck picture originated, but I sure didn’t draw it. But it sure was a nice picture of a duck, wasn’t it?
Anonymous — I’m still in favor of a popular vote for Mayor. I like feeling like I have at least a little say in my government. At the moment I feel pretty powerless — all the Council Members are voted “at-large,” so there is no one representing my part of town. Regarding Rochester vs. Geary… To be honest, what you’ve said about Rochester scares me. I desperately want a change in the city government, as my part of town has been woefully neglected lo these many years (even though my house payment has more than doubled in the past seven years due entirely to tax and insurance hikes), but if you’re right about Rochester I may go with Geary after all. I need to do more research on this, to be honest. I’m sticking with Hobart, though. He may not be a polished politician, but the city needs someone who can get things done rather than someone who can make slick-sounding excuses. Just my two cents…
I just assume that everything dudes draw is supposed to be a rocketship.