Election Day is upon us and it is time to head to the polls. Here are some suggestions for Huntersville based on the methodology outlined in my upcomong column from this week's Herald Weekly. Be sure to check that out on Thursday.
This election cycle, Huntersville is where most of the big action takes place. With over a dozen candidates for the Town Board and the area's only contested mayoral election, there is more to choose from here than anywhere else.
For Town Board you can't go wrong with incumbents Rob Kidwell and Danny Phillips along with newcomer Mark Gibbons.
Commissioners Kidwell and Phillips have proven themselves to be independent voices on the board rather than always walking in lockstep with the leadership on the dias. They deserve reelection. Challenger Mark Gibbons also has proven his commitment and willingness to fight for what is best for Huntersville and this region, serving as a prominent leader in the effort to stop the I77 HOT lanes project.
Together, these three gentlemen can ensure Huntersville's best interests are protected as the larger region grows. They will not reflexively cave to the constant drum beat of "regionalism" coming out of Charlotte. North Mecklenburg needs its largest municipality to have that kind of backbone if we are to prevent being constantly pummelled by the 800lb gorilla to our south.
On the mayoral side, the choice is also clear.
While I do not know Mayor Swain personally, people who do seem to think she is a very nice person. HOWEVER, this is not a high school popularity contest.
Huntersville needs a leader willing to go to the mat for the town on large regional issues and Mayor Swain simply is not that person. Maybe Mayor Swain has gotten too comfortable at Huntersville town hall having been there for a long, looong time. Her lack of much of a visible campaign effort this cycle also gives the impression of a sense of entitlement that should never be apparent in an elected official.
Regardless, it is time for new blood.
Fortunately for Huntersville, challenger John Aneralla can provide the leadership that has been missing.
Aneralla is no stranger to the political process having run for office at the state level previously. He also serves on the boards overseeing the State's retirement system which is one of the largest in the country.
Aneralla is on record opposing the I77 HOT lanes from his previous runs for office, so he is not a "jonny come lately" to the anti-toll effort.
In the role of Mayor, voters want someone who will break ties the right way - giving thoughtful consideration to all sides of an issue and not just doing what is popular to a select few.
Electing John Aneralla gives that to Huntersville.
Just my 2 cents...
Showing posts with label Rob Kidwell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rob Kidwell. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Mayor Apologizes for Commissioner Asking Question to Legislators on HOT Lanes
Things are beginning to get downright weird on the road to signing the final-final-we-really-mean-it -this-time contract with Cintra on the I77 HOT Lanes project. We're not sure if this is a sign that some are getting antsy about going through with such a bad and unpopular idea, or if this is just a consequence of a long and drawn out fight that establishment pols are not used to having. Regardless, the pressure seems to be getting to Huntersville Mayor Jill Swain.
Back on August 28th, Huntersville Commissioner Rob Kidwell sent an email to the entire NC Legislature, outlining some of his concerns regarding the HOT Lanes project. It was polite. It was chock full of numbers. It made some very insightful points. The email closed with the below paragraph.
"I am now going to ask the impossible question and I hope that it does not fall on deaf ears. Please consider going back in session, and put a stop to this project until we can develop a true plan to address the traffic concerns of a small area that can and will have an impact state wide. I know that this would be considered quixotic by some, but I urge you to look at all the facts presented. We continue to hear time and time again that “it’s a done deal.” If that was true, then why does the NCDOT and Cintra want to have continued meetings in order to sell this concept and project to elected officials and the voting public?"
aShortChronicle and DavidsonNews.net were both copied on this email. No idea why we were copied, or why other media or bloggers were not. Getting these types of emails is pretty common. Frankly, the fact that a single commissioner sent an email to the General Assembly did not seem all that newsworthy, so we did not report on it. Neither did DavidsonNews.net as far as we know.
Apparently, Huntersville Mayor Jill Swain did not see it that way.
This Monday (over two weeks later!!!), she sent a long-long email to those same legislators apologizing repeatedly for Commissioner Kidwell actually reaching out to them. Apparently, he didn't follow the "process". Mayor Swain seemed particularly concerned that Commissioner Kidwell actually identified himself as a Huntersville Commissioner. She wanted to make sure it was clear that his request for a special session was not an official request from Huntersville.
As one can see from the above email excerpt Commissioner Kidwell uses the word "I", not "the Board" or "Huntersville" when he makes his request. The rest of the email is the same way. He does sign it with "Commissioner", but what elected official wouldn't do that when contacting another elected official. If nothing else, it helps get your message bubbled to the top of the pile. It's very hard to believe anyone - even a busy legislator - would mistake this as an official request from the town and not just a single commissioner.
But Mayor Swain was not finished...
In what has become standard language for members of the HOT Lanes Bucket Brigade, Mayor Swain then goes on to use the word "misinformation" in an offhand manner. (She's learned well from her mentor, Davidson Mayor John Woods, on how to call people liars without actually using the word.) She claims that Commissioner Kidwell's lone email has somehow gotten all of Raleigh up in a swirl. Commissioner Kidwell's one email has taken up all of the NCDOT's time and that's the reason why the public has been getting only a trickle of information from NCDOT regarding the project. They've been too busy responding to legislators' questions from this one email to get out more information to the public and prepare for public hearings in a few weeks. For that, Mayor Swain apologizes for Commissioner Kidwell wasting the Legislators' and NCDOT's time.
According to a follow-up email from Commissioner Kidwell on September 8th, only 4 legislators responded to his original email. F.O.U.R.
So, you either have to believe dozens of legislators flooded the NCDOT with questions and did not also respond to Commissioner Kidwell, or you have to believe Mayor Swain is just making a lame and desperate attempt to deflect NCDOT's horrible handling of information for this whole project onto one of it's opponents.
Which do you think is more likely?
Back on August 28th, Huntersville Commissioner Rob Kidwell sent an email to the entire NC Legislature, outlining some of his concerns regarding the HOT Lanes project. It was polite. It was chock full of numbers. It made some very insightful points. The email closed with the below paragraph.
"I am now going to ask the impossible question and I hope that it does not fall on deaf ears. Please consider going back in session, and put a stop to this project until we can develop a true plan to address the traffic concerns of a small area that can and will have an impact state wide. I know that this would be considered quixotic by some, but I urge you to look at all the facts presented. We continue to hear time and time again that “it’s a done deal.” If that was true, then why does the NCDOT and Cintra want to have continued meetings in order to sell this concept and project to elected officials and the voting public?"
aShortChronicle and DavidsonNews.net were both copied on this email. No idea why we were copied, or why other media or bloggers were not. Getting these types of emails is pretty common. Frankly, the fact that a single commissioner sent an email to the General Assembly did not seem all that newsworthy, so we did not report on it. Neither did DavidsonNews.net as far as we know.
Apparently, Huntersville Mayor Jill Swain did not see it that way.
This Monday (over two weeks later!!!), she sent a long-long email to those same legislators apologizing repeatedly for Commissioner Kidwell actually reaching out to them. Apparently, he didn't follow the "process". Mayor Swain seemed particularly concerned that Commissioner Kidwell actually identified himself as a Huntersville Commissioner. She wanted to make sure it was clear that his request for a special session was not an official request from Huntersville.
As one can see from the above email excerpt Commissioner Kidwell uses the word "I", not "the Board" or "Huntersville" when he makes his request. The rest of the email is the same way. He does sign it with "Commissioner", but what elected official wouldn't do that when contacting another elected official. If nothing else, it helps get your message bubbled to the top of the pile. It's very hard to believe anyone - even a busy legislator - would mistake this as an official request from the town and not just a single commissioner.
But Mayor Swain was not finished...
In what has become standard language for members of the HOT Lanes Bucket Brigade, Mayor Swain then goes on to use the word "misinformation" in an offhand manner. (She's learned well from her mentor, Davidson Mayor John Woods, on how to call people liars without actually using the word.) She claims that Commissioner Kidwell's lone email has somehow gotten all of Raleigh up in a swirl. Commissioner Kidwell's one email has taken up all of the NCDOT's time and that's the reason why the public has been getting only a trickle of information from NCDOT regarding the project. They've been too busy responding to legislators' questions from this one email to get out more information to the public and prepare for public hearings in a few weeks. For that, Mayor Swain apologizes for Commissioner Kidwell wasting the Legislators' and NCDOT's time.
According to a follow-up email from Commissioner Kidwell on September 8th, only 4 legislators responded to his original email. F.O.U.R.
So, you either have to believe dozens of legislators flooded the NCDOT with questions and did not also respond to Commissioner Kidwell, or you have to believe Mayor Swain is just making a lame and desperate attempt to deflect NCDOT's horrible handling of information for this whole project onto one of it's opponents.
Which do you think is more likely?
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