We have the Daily Camera/Clint Talbott's endorsements for the council. I think the Camera tries to do a very evenhanded job evaluating the candidates and they definitely deserve credit for being the only group so far to evaluate every candidate (click here for the details on the blatant discrimination practiced by the environmental groups).
The Camera list is:
- Matthew Applebaum
- Shawn Coleman
- Angelique Espinoza
- Crystal Gray
- Lisa Morzel
- Susan Osborne
- Ken Wilson
The list does show a broader picture than any other endorsement list to date. And I think many in the list above are very good choices - maybe not exactly who I would pick, but very good choices. So now that I've said the nice things, lets dive into the big things I think they got wrong.
- Clint clearly puts a very high premium on experience, endorsing every candidate that is an incumbent or has served before. Experience is useful, but it is also a recipe for business as usual - as they are the ones who have made the decisions over the last several years. Clint has a good point that we could end up with a council with only 2 "experienced" members - but that does not mean we need 6 "experienced" members.
- Crystal Gray/Susan Osborne are, to steal an old album title, twin daughters of different mothers. They are the same opinions, the same votes, the same concerns, the same everything. There is no value in having two identical people on council - we need different perspectives, ideas, etc. Pick one (either one), but then don't double down on that bet.
- It does not list anyone outside the "clearly have a chance" group. And why do only 10 candidates "clearly have a chance?" Because every group endorsing only looks at those that "clearly have a chance." Our local newspaper of record should be at the forefront of breaking out of this vicious cycle of you must know the right people, join the right groups, go to the right meetings, join the right boards, have the right friends. Out of 7 candidates, for at least one the Camera should have picked the best candidate out of the remaining 12. Because clearly one of those 12 must be a better pick than every single one of the 7 selected.
- Adam Massey (as a backup)??? Has Adam put in any effort in this election? Every person who has discussed Adam with me (and a lot have), he has been MIA from everything. The only thing he has done is work on getting endorsements from the environmental groups. Would he even bother to show up at council meetings if he can't be bothered to campaign. Your listing of Adam appears to me to be a giant vote in favor of the anointed 10 regardless of their qualifications and effort.
I want to reiterate that I think this is a decent list. But it's not perfect. And I think some of Clint's primary criteria are not that key.
