City Council Vacancy: Selection Criteria
From:
Al Sands
Date:
May 19 15:38 UTC
Short link
May 19, 2008
Political Realities
My loss of innocence, politically speaking, happened when I was a senior at
the U majoring in accounting, and my fraternity decided I should become
president of the accounting club that year (it will look good on your resume).
We gathered enough brothers to vote that in, and I was so elected.
I’ve been suspicious ever since on how people get elected or appointed to
power, and how they maintain their position. When voting, we expect the winner
to represent us fair and square. Don’t count on it. People get elected to
power because of special interests promoting them with their much needed
money, and their influence. It’s expensive to fund a campaign. Money is there,
but there are strings attached. Case in point: What happened to those
Republicans who recently voted their conscience to get us a much needed gas tax
increase? They’ve been disciplined, shunned, stripped of their committee
assignments, and they will lose their party’s financial and other support. They
won’t get re elected. Goodbye ethical politician.
How does Roseville score? I believe there are powerful forces at work to get
their way, and to remain in control of local affairs. Commercial real estate
interests paid out tens of thousands of dollars during the last election to get
their pro development candidates (successfully) elected. Powerful people and
forces are at work behind the scenes to play kingmaker, based on their arrogant
assumption that they, as the elite political sophisticates among us, have the
inherent right to force their will upon us.
Tonight offers the opportunity for the politically naïve to witness this
process in action. If you come to tonight’s council meeting at 6PM, or tune
into cable, you can see for yourself how this works, under the façade of
democracy at work. Tom Kough’s dying set up an opening on the council. Many
candidates applied—some of whom would make excellent interim councilors. They,
like you, are unaware the winner has already been pre selected, and this
process is merely a routine. When you get politically connected applicants
applying by invitation of council leaders, the results should not surprise any
of us.
Welcome to the real world. Get your antennas up for the fall elections.
Figure out who is being set up, by whom, and why. You’re in for an education
in reality politics. Also, get out your checkbook, and pay for the governance
you want.
Al Sands
.