Towards Political Diversity

A lot of people have been asking me why I would run as a Republican in such a heavily Democratic city as Ann Arbor. Good question! I am running because there is no real opposition in this town and most of the City Council members end up being the only choice on the ballot. I think that is undemocratic, and I would note that even in countries where opposition is not allowed, voters are often allowed to vote yes or no.

I am also running because "Republican" has become a dirty word in this town. Whether you agree with the Republican Party or not (and I often do not), such a thing is not healthy. We are all human beings, and even if Republicans are a minority in this town, to vilify a minority as evil evinces a lack of respect for human diversity.

I am running because this town is in dire need of POLITICAL DIVERSITY.

I am disappointed that my opponent Marcia Higgins failed to show up at the debate which was sponsored by the League of Women voters. She sent an email stating she had a family commitment, and I honestly hope that this was not meant as a snub. I did my best under the circumstances and I left this comment at A2Politico.com:

Last week the League of Women Voters sponsored a candidate’s debate, to which all eight City Council candidates (four incumbents and their four opponents) had been invited. Marcia Higgins was the only candidate who failed to attend, but she sent an email citing family commitments. This left me (Higgins’ opponent in Ward 4) having to sit there on the stage by myself and answer questions as best I could. I was disappointed. It’s tough debating an invisible opponent.

You can watch the debate here, and the following is the full link:

http://a2cititv.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=eac0fde4ed348c443da574400ceb7995

Even though the debate took place ten days ago, until yesterday, there had been a near total absence of full local media coverage of the Ward Four debate. However, yesterday this thorough discussion and analysis was published at the intrepid A2Politico, and today a full writeup has appeared at Ann Arbor Chronicle.

As I continue getting my message out to Ward Four voters, I appreciate this news coverage.

Who knows? It might be a step towards political diversity!