Reminder---Democratic Breakfast Meeting With Candidates Tomorrow, Saturday May 16-Eastport Democratic Club (corner of State and Chester). Cost: $3. Mayoral candidates Josh Cohen and Trudy McFall and incumbent alderman candidate Classie Hoyle will be guests. The other candidates will attend future breakfasts and we'll keep you informed.
Today is May 15. Last Campaign Ratings were April 15 and May 1. Next rating will likely be around June 1 which will absorb the currently separate web-site ratings. A means candidate is ready to be mayor, B means candidate really wants to be mayor, C means candidate wants to be mayor but we'd like to see more conviction and D means if you want a decisive person in office, you'll probably have to find someone with a higher rating than this person. In order to get an A, the candidate must have filed with the city clerk, made a public announcement, have an active campaign and active web-site. It will eventually become harder to attain or maintain an A as the campaign progresses. I will more seriously consider overall activity, public presence, and how they are communicating with CP and other media. These grades reflect my candid observations of the campaigns and not their positions on issues. I have left the original text of the earlier posts and merely added on new comments and the new grade which I shall continue to do every couple of weeks. Every candidate (except Frank Flyntz whose email is ???) was sent an email reminder and was asked to provide general information including a brief report from each on what neighborhoods they have walked in and how many doors they have knocked on. McFall was the only one to reply to the first inquiry. After a second request, only Cohen's campaign responded, saying it would be supplying information but all I got was a basic email blast. Updates in Red this week:
Independent
Chris Fox, detailed but not recently active web-site, collecting signatures to be on ballot Rating on April 15th B minus Fox has been at Sip N' Blogs, at other events and people are beginning to talk about his candidacy with some seriousness but he hardly got any votes on our online poll. If it were not for his frankness and seriousness as demonstrated to me and through his web-site, I would not know how else to grade him, but I am waiting until we see some more sustained and public activity. He did attend Scott Bowling's kickoff and he plans an official announcement in a week so this grade may improve quickly. Upgrade to B NEW: Fox was a guest at Sip N' Blog and has been attending regularly. He had good crowds at both his official announcement and a fund-raiser. He continues to gather signatures to be placed on the ballot and has done some upgrades to his web-site. I've seen some signs up and Fox did attend the Ward One Resident's Association meeting. Upgraded to B Plus.
Frank Flyntz, originally announced at a party that a few people knew about in June, 2008 but then did another announcement party earlier this year but information was never placed on his own web-site nor shared with the media as far as I could tell. Rating on April 15th C (inactive web-site, inactive campaign, not filed) UPDATE again because he did not adequately announce his announcement, we cannot find a phone number or email for him and he only got three votes on the online poll. I have not seen any sign of campaign activity nor is he known to have a treasurer, which is a must for raising money. Downgraded to C minus May 15 I have tried to get information from the candidate but he is apparently not interested because I had to repeatedly leave messages for him by phone and on his door. When I finally contacted him, he told me that he does have a treasurer (not posted on his web-site) although he has not yet provided me with his campaign literature despite two such requests. He will be the last of the nine mayoral candidates to be a guest at Sip N' Blog and this only came about two days ago when he agreed to attend on May 28. He is supposedly speaking at the Republican Wednesday breakfast group. I asked him to email this information but have not received it, and until I do, I don't even know his e-mail. Flyntz is remarkably laid back and nonchalant and does not seem to appreciate my earnest attempts to communicate with him or to promote his campaign as I am doing for all candidates. My own standards forced me to upgrade him to C because at least he has filed, but if this campaign does not show some seriousness soon, this barely deserved C will be even harder to maintain because his behavior and attitude is that of a person who is trying hard to go nowhere really quickly.
Democrats
Josh Cohen, announced, actively campaigning, active web-site Rating on April 15th B He has not yet filed but he is out in the public eye, was a guest at Sip N' Blog, did not gather many votes on CP's online poll, and he is about to open an office. Once he files, he will likely move to an A if he remains active. Rating Today remains at B. He has opened an office, is out in public and I even see some bumper-stickers for him around town. I don't know why he has not filed. His campaign says he is knocking on doors but no details were provided as requested. As with Dave Cordle, he too holds elected office and a full-time job so I give him that benefit. Maintained at B.
Sam Shropshire, announced, actively campaigning, active web-site Rating on April 15th B (has not filed) . He still has not filed, but he is making the rounds and remains in the public eye. I have to downgrade him for not responding to repeated inquiries as to whether he supported putting the city manager petition on the city's website. Rating today down to B minus. He has some web updates and public activity including his ill-advised charter amendment to push the elections back which he quickly withdrew. He has posted a paper about this on his site. Has some events planned. Rating maintained at B minus.
Trudy McFall, announced, actively campaigning, papers filed, active web-site Rating on April 15th A. I would like to see more activity on web-site, but she did get the most votes on CP's online poll and remains active on issues and testifies at city council. Rating Today A. McFall remains actively involved in issues and legislation and testifies at City Council, attended budget hearings, as did her campaign manager Dennis Conti, also a regular at Sip N' Blog. Conti told CP "I can say that Trudy is continuing to door-knock every single Saturday and Sunday and will continue to do so through the elections. I can also say that she has personally door-knocked on over half the Democratic voters in the City." This is the only campaign to provide a specific update on this as requested. McFall was at the recent Ward One meeting as well. I maintain this campaign's rating at A.
Zina Pierre, announced, active campaign and web-site Rating on April 15th C Has not yet filed but her announcement was well organized and attended and she got a close second place finish on CP's online poll. Plenty of campaign material but still not much writing of substance or positions on issues. Still not well known outside of core support group but is showing momentum. Was guest at Sip N Blog. Rating Today Upgraded to B. She has been coming to Sip N' Blogs, City Council meetings, has been updating her web-site, has sent out news releases, and has some events planned. She spoke to the Ward One Resident's Association. The campaign has shown great energy in the last few weeks and it looks as if this momentum will continue. I'll upgrade her to an A.
Wayne Taylor, announced, actively campaigning, inactive web-site Rating on April 15th C His web-site is still a big nothing, he has held some public meetings and knocked on doors. Where's his literature? Upgrade to C plus this time because he's making the rounds with public meetings. Where is Wayne? I have not heard a word and he has not answered email. His web-site is still a big nothing. He has not yet filed. Downgraded to D.
Gil Renaut, I believe he has announced perhaps not with a public presence or kickoff party, but he has not filed, and his web-site is hardly active, so I'm gonna have to go with Rating of C on April 15th. Renaut got a respectable third on our online poll, he is seen at Sip N' Blog and was a guest but his web-site is still barely adequate and I don't see any literature. I'll upgrade him to a C plus/B minus. The candidate stays in touch with CP, attends Sip N' Blogs but I see little evidence of an active campaign or web-site, although he is making some public appearances such as at the Ward One Resident's Association meeting where he said he is hiring professional staff. Maintained at C plus/B minus mainly because of lack of web-site activity.
Remember, next time we'll combine web-site and campaign activity ratings and the standards will tighten up.
Please send comments, subscribe, share with your friends, and support our sponsors. Join us every Thursday morning from 8-9 am for our Sip N' Blogs . We will no longer bring our business to that other coffee shop Eastport.Today is May 15. Last Campaign Ratings were April 15 and May 1. Next rating will likely be around June 1 which will absorb the currently separate web-site ratings. A means candidate is ready to be mayor, B means candidate really wants to be mayor, C means candidate wants to be mayor but we'd like to see more conviction and D means if you want a decisive person in office, you'll probably have to find someone with a higher rating than this person. In order to get an A, the candidate must have filed with the city clerk, made a public announcement, have an active campaign and active web-site. It will eventually become harder to attain or maintain an A as the campaign progresses. I will more seriously consider overall activity, public presence, and how they are communicating with CP and other media. These grades reflect my candid observations of the campaigns and not their positions on issues. I have left the original text of the earlier posts and merely added on new comments and the new grade which I shall continue to do every couple of weeks. Every candidate (except Frank Flyntz whose email is ???) was sent an email reminder and was asked to provide general information including a brief report from each on what neighborhoods they have walked in and how many doors they have knocked on. McFall was the only one to reply to the first inquiry. After a second request, only Cohen's campaign responded, saying it would be supplying information but all I got was a basic email blast. Updates in Red this week:
Independent
Chris Fox, detailed but not recently active web-site, collecting signatures to be on ballot Rating on April 15th B minus Fox has been at Sip N' Blogs, at other events and people are beginning to talk about his candidacy with some seriousness but he hardly got any votes on our online poll. If it were not for his frankness and seriousness as demonstrated to me and through his web-site, I would not know how else to grade him, but I am waiting until we see some more sustained and public activity. He did attend Scott Bowling's kickoff and he plans an official announcement in a week so this grade may improve quickly. Upgrade to B NEW: Fox was a guest at Sip N' Blog and has been attending regularly. He had good crowds at both his official announcement and a fund-raiser. He continues to gather signatures to be placed on the ballot and has done some upgrades to his web-site. I've seen some signs up and Fox did attend the Ward One Resident's Association meeting. Upgraded to B Plus.
Republicans:
Dave Cordle, announced, actively campaigning, papers filed, active web-site Rating on April 15 A minus (has not knocked on my door yet) UPDATE: How come no activity on web-site for two months? Did attend Scott Bowling's kickoff. Where is the public outreach? The man is a busy alderman and has a full-time job, but how about some news or web activity? Rating Today downgraded to B. Some supporters held a fund-raiser for him, but it was not even promoted on his web-site, which has not been upgraded in months. Two different sources told me that 15 people came. These same supporters sent out an email invitation attacking Democrats. I give the candidate leeway because he is a hardworking alderman and has a full-time job but sooner or later, this presumed Republican front-runner must start campaigning as if he will be getting the Republican nomination. No activity on his web-site for months. However, he does attend some Sip N' Blogs and has told me that more campaign activity is planned or is soon to be underway. Rating downgraded to B Minus, but again with the above conditions in mind.
Dave Cordle, announced, actively campaigning, papers filed, active web-site Rating on April 15 A minus (has not knocked on my door yet) UPDATE: How come no activity on web-site for two months? Did attend Scott Bowling's kickoff. Where is the public outreach? The man is a busy alderman and has a full-time job, but how about some news or web activity? Rating Today downgraded to B. Some supporters held a fund-raiser for him, but it was not even promoted on his web-site, which has not been upgraded in months. Two different sources told me that 15 people came. These same supporters sent out an email invitation attacking Democrats. I give the candidate leeway because he is a hardworking alderman and has a full-time job but sooner or later, this presumed Republican front-runner must start campaigning as if he will be getting the Republican nomination. No activity on his web-site for months. However, he does attend some Sip N' Blogs and has told me that more campaign activity is planned or is soon to be underway. Rating downgraded to B Minus, but again with the above conditions in mind.
Frank Flyntz, originally announced at a party that a few people knew about in June, 2008 but then did another announcement party earlier this year but information was never placed on his own web-site nor shared with the media as far as I could tell. Rating on April 15th C (inactive web-site, inactive campaign, not filed) UPDATE again because he did not adequately announce his announcement, we cannot find a phone number or email for him and he only got three votes on the online poll. I have not seen any sign of campaign activity nor is he known to have a treasurer, which is a must for raising money. Downgraded to C minus May 15 I have tried to get information from the candidate but he is apparently not interested because I had to repeatedly leave messages for him by phone and on his door. When I finally contacted him, he told me that he does have a treasurer (not posted on his web-site) although he has not yet provided me with his campaign literature despite two such requests. He will be the last of the nine mayoral candidates to be a guest at Sip N' Blog and this only came about two days ago when he agreed to attend on May 28. He is supposedly speaking at the Republican Wednesday breakfast group. I asked him to email this information but have not received it, and until I do, I don't even know his e-mail. Flyntz is remarkably laid back and nonchalant and does not seem to appreciate my earnest attempts to communicate with him or to promote his campaign as I am doing for all candidates. My own standards forced me to upgrade him to C because at least he has filed, but if this campaign does not show some seriousness soon, this barely deserved C will be even harder to maintain because his behavior and attitude is that of a person who is trying hard to go nowhere really quickly.
Josh Cohen, announced, actively campaigning, active web-site Rating on April 15th B He has not yet filed but he is out in the public eye, was a guest at Sip N' Blog, did not gather many votes on CP's online poll, and he is about to open an office. Once he files, he will likely move to an A if he remains active. Rating Today remains at B. He has opened an office, is out in public and I even see some bumper-stickers for him around town. I don't know why he has not filed. His campaign says he is knocking on doors but no details were provided as requested. As with Dave Cordle, he too holds elected office and a full-time job so I give him that benefit. Maintained at B.
Sam Shropshire, announced, actively campaigning, active web-site Rating on April 15th B (has not filed) . He still has not filed, but he is making the rounds and remains in the public eye. I have to downgrade him for not responding to repeated inquiries as to whether he supported putting the city manager petition on the city's website. Rating today down to B minus. He has some web updates and public activity including his ill-advised charter amendment to push the elections back which he quickly withdrew. He has posted a paper about this on his site. Has some events planned. Rating maintained at B minus.
Trudy McFall, announced, actively campaigning, papers filed, active web-site Rating on April 15th A. I would like to see more activity on web-site, but she did get the most votes on CP's online poll and remains active on issues and testifies at city council. Rating Today A. McFall remains actively involved in issues and legislation and testifies at City Council, attended budget hearings, as did her campaign manager Dennis Conti, also a regular at Sip N' Blog. Conti told CP "I can say that Trudy is continuing to door-knock every single Saturday and Sunday and will continue to do so through the elections. I can also say that she has personally door-knocked on over half the Democratic voters in the City." This is the only campaign to provide a specific update on this as requested. McFall was at the recent Ward One meeting as well. I maintain this campaign's rating at A.
Zina Pierre, announced, active campaign and web-site Rating on April 15th C Has not yet filed but her announcement was well organized and attended and she got a close second place finish on CP's online poll. Plenty of campaign material but still not much writing of substance or positions on issues. Still not well known outside of core support group but is showing momentum. Was guest at Sip N Blog. Rating Today Upgraded to B. She has been coming to Sip N' Blogs, City Council meetings, has been updating her web-site, has sent out news releases, and has some events planned. She spoke to the Ward One Resident's Association. The campaign has shown great energy in the last few weeks and it looks as if this momentum will continue. I'll upgrade her to an A.
Wayne Taylor, announced, actively campaigning, inactive web-site Rating on April 15th C His web-site is still a big nothing, he has held some public meetings and knocked on doors. Where's his literature? Upgrade to C plus this time because he's making the rounds with public meetings. Where is Wayne? I have not heard a word and he has not answered email. His web-site is still a big nothing. He has not yet filed. Downgraded to D.
Gil Renaut, I believe he has announced perhaps not with a public presence or kickoff party, but he has not filed, and his web-site is hardly active, so I'm gonna have to go with Rating of C on April 15th. Renaut got a respectable third on our online poll, he is seen at Sip N' Blog and was a guest but his web-site is still barely adequate and I don't see any literature. I'll upgrade him to a C plus/B minus. The candidate stays in touch with CP, attends Sip N' Blogs but I see little evidence of an active campaign or web-site, although he is making some public appearances such as at the Ward One Resident's Association meeting where he said he is hiring professional staff. Maintained at C plus/B minus mainly because of lack of web-site activity.
Remember, next time we'll combine web-site and campaign activity ratings and the standards will tighten up.
2 Comments:
Maybe the city can solve the election woes by just eliminiating the elections entirely and letting you decide who should be mayor> I mean you seem to have the inside track on everything--and after all the most important aspect of running for mayor is filling out the paperwork--oh yeah and attending your left wing sip and spits to stroke your ego.
Dear Anonymous,
Maybe we should let you decide--that is, if you have enough personal fortitude to identify yourself. But what I find truly funny is that within minutes of posting this piece, you (who is up quite early and must be a subscriber)react like Pavlov's dog and then tell me how everything I do is so worthless and insubstantial. We'll be happy to invite you to Sip N' Blog so we can stroke your ego--but you'll have to identify yourself first. Then you can decide whether we are so "left wing" or not. I doubt that our regulars, including all the Republicans who attend, such as Aldermen Cordle and Paone, would agree, but they'd probably agree with my assessment about you--if you have the fortitude to divulge your identity. Of course that is but one of your obvious disorders.
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