Meet the TC candidates
author said:
nohero said:By whom...........please describe the process.
"Those party members who control the endorsement", as you describe, or more accurately vote on who to endorse, are themselves elected.
They are elected by everyone who has registered in that party. They run to represent their election district, and the other registered members of the party who live in the district vote on them. There's a procedure that any person registered in that party can put his or her name in for consideration. The voting takes place in conjunction with the June primary. I hope that's enough detail regarding the process.
author said:I am an Independent and no I don't want to participate in the machinations of the Democratic Party. But I also would like to see a fair and level playing field.
And over the years I have seen a number of potential candidates who failed to gain a TC spot because they were unable to gain that "magic" Democratic endorsement.
Apparently Maplewood runs an election, within an election within an election.
I can understand if you don't want to participate in a process for a political party, or even if you're unaware of that process. I cannot understand why you'd disparage your community based on that.
LOST said:
When the Township of Maplewood was incorporated it was decided that Elections would be Partisan, that is, by Political Parties. Then for the next 70 years the Republican Party completely dominated the Township Committee. It is my understanding that the first Democrat was not elected until the 1970s and he was then defeated for re-election. the next Democrat was not elected until the late 80s.
I ask those critical of the system, what do you propose? South Orange has non-partisan elections. Has the governance of that Town been better than the governance of Maplewood? There is certainly a great amount of criticism by citizens of South Orange of their government. Is there any evidence that if Maplewood had non-partisan elections the make-up of the TC would be any different?
Until relatively recently, if you wanted your municipal elections to be held in November with the bulk of other elections, you had to have a partisan system. Non-partisan elections and school board elections were held earlier in the year (May and April, respectively). The law was changed not long ago to allow the latter to also be held in November. Our BOE election was moved to November, but South Orange decided to stay with the May election date for its Board of Trustees.
I've written this somewhere around a bazillion times, but why not once more. It is NOT the fault of the Maplewood Democratic Committee that there is no viable Republican opposition. It is not the fault of their candidates that they attract 80+% of the vote every year. Stop blaming Democrats and the MDC for this. It is the fault of the Republican Party that they are no longer a viable political party anywhere in the Northeast suburbs.
You have a beef that there aren't competitive TC elections in Maplewood? Take it up with the Maplewood Republicans. I hear that all of them meet quarterly in a Smart car parked outside the Maple Leaf.
ml1 said:
I've written this somewhere around a bazillion times, but why not once more. It is NOT the fault of the Maplewood Democratic Committee that there is no viable Republican opposition. It is not the fault of their candidates that they attract 80+% of the vote every year. Stop blaming Democrats and the MDC for this. It is the fault of the Republican Party that they are no longer a viable political party anywhere in the Northeast suburbs.
You have a beef that there aren't competitive TC elections in Maplewood? Take it up with the Maplewood Republicans. I hear that all of them meet quarterly in a Smart car parked outside the Maple Leaf.
Joan Baez many years ago said "There never was a good Republican folksinger.
So the question really becomes, why are we pitting Republicans against Democrats against Independents.
We would level the playing field if our candidates ran without party affiliation.......thus also attracting additional talent that had been deterred from running since their Party is not the Party Djour
Profeta spent a small fortune to unseat the incumbent. Lembrich followed the same strategy. Not everyone can afford to spend $30-$50k of their own money to get elected. That’s when the MDC endorsement becomes necessary.
yahooyahoo said:
Profeta spent a small fortune to unseat the incumbent. Lembrich followed the same strategy. Not everyone can afford to spend $30-$50k of their own money to get elected. That’s when the MDC endorsement becomes necessary.
There are those who feel that Ryan phoned in his campaign when he was challenged by Lembrich
That and the almost unprecedentedly high amount of his own Euros thrown into campaigning for the seat by Lembrich. Can we say that is a version of the Golden Rule? Who ever has the gold, rules.
My contention is this. The Township would be better served if the TC were made up of people of varying philosophies rather than 5 who all echo the same beliefs.
If the TC is 5 people echoing the same beliefs, they have won because those are the beliefs held/desired by the citizen voters.
We have all heard PLENTY of strident arguments among elected officials over the years. Anybody remember "The turf wars" or the decision about whether to merge with South Orange or not, where to put the Police station or the Post Office?
Also many, many, many smaller arguments and split decisions, especially among the 42 elected district leaders. Yes, there are 42 from every part of town. A man and a woman from each of the 21 districts,
It's so weird that these same old odd "Let's do it this way or this way that hasn't proven any better elsewhere" theories keep popping up every election cycle when by any reasonable standard the town is well run and managed by earnest citizens.
All of these people are your neighbors just trying to do something for their community. They are not some evil "Skull and Crossbones" society with secret handshakes.
author said:
....Joan Baez many years ago said "There never was a good Republican folksinger.
....
I don't know. Pat Boone was pretty good. We all liked his "Love Letters in the Sand," back then.
Formerlyjerseyjack said:
author said:I don't know. Pat Boone was pretty good. We all liked his "Love Letters in the Sand," back then.
....Joan Baez many years ago said "There never was a good Republican folksinger.
....
And then Pat Boone went through his leather biker phase confusing just about everyone. He also failed to obtain the endorsement for the Democratic nomination to the Maplewood TC.
He then declined to run and retreated to Catalina island to lick his wounds.
Debby had no comment.
author said:My contention is this. The Township would be better served if the TC were made up of people of varying philosophies rather than 5 who all echo the same beliefs.
In general, the various members of the Township Committee over the years have "echoed" the same belief in basing decisions on what's in the best interest of the Township and its citizens. They've held different opinions as to the best course of action or decision to make, but at least they share that most important belief.
Red_Barchetta said:
If the TC is 5 people echoing the same beliefs, they have won because those are the beliefs held/desired by the citizen voters.
If the ice cream party is the only one in existance, the candy cane party is on life support and the independents lack the financial where with all............people will vote for the ice cream party as it is their only viable choice.
Over the years, I have seen an increase in the number of voters who will vote the party line in a local election regardless of the qualifications and abilities of the candidates running for office. Over the years, I have seen the occasional prospective candidate switch their party member from the minority party at the time to the majority party so as to have a better chance of winning. In some years, I have seen multiple prospective candidates going through an intensive interview/screening process for MDC endorsement while the local GOP ends up running place holders. All of this tends to have an impact on the quality of the candidates running on each party's line for the TC election. While I firmly believe that Greg and Nancy are doing an excellent job serving on the TC, I also believe that both have expressed positions on one or more issues that could have left them vulnerable this year had a strong candidate chosen to run against them in the general election - none did.
Ileana: Apart from choosing a campaign tactic in which you decided against taking a strong position on any of the issues, you also suffered from not having a running mate. The most successful minority party and Independent candidates running alone in a year when two seats on the TC were up for grabs urged their supporters to engage in target voting (cast just one vote - for them - and not also vote for one of their opponents). You did not do this and it worked against you.
joan_crystal said:
Ileana: Apart from choosing a campaign tactic in which you decided against taking a strong position on any of the issues, you also suffered from not having a running mate. The most successful minority party and Independent candidates running alone in a year when two seats on the TC were up for grabs urged their supporters to engage in target voting (cast just one vote - for them - and not also vote for one of their opponents). You did not do this and it worked against you.
Joan
That is also called bullet voting and I remember discussing the effectiveness of the tactic with Ian years ago.
ml1 said:
HarleyQuinn said:I would call some of your comments racially insensitive.
ml1 said:Please explain what other reason my views cause stir.
HarleyQuinn said:It's not that. Your views cause a stir for other reasons.
Someone above mentioned about if i ever had a chance to win since they can only associate me with online“cat fights”. No, it is not “cat fight” it’s called “sometimes my views are not similar with the majority” and that can cause a stir.
Racially insensitive ?? I find this very troubling you would say that my comments are “racially insensitive”.
I challenge you or anyone to post where my comments were racially insensitive. I have not deleted any comments on MOL, Lounge or any other place. I stand by what I say. If I will be accused of something you better have proof of what you are saying.
And I am tired of certain people trying to discredit me by saying I am racist. It’s not cool and I get offended by it. Many of my family members in Dominican Republic are dark skin and this includes my father. If you don’t like my views that’s ok but don’t need to go out of your way twist my words and make me a racist monster.
you came here and claimed people have issues with your comments because they differ from the majority. You and I both know that’s not the whole story and I just pointed that out. I was going to leave it at that until you asked me for more detail. I’ve been in discussions with you on Facebook and I think you have been too dismissive of the experiences of African American members of our community. I didn’t call you a racist, much less a monster. But from your reply it seems like a number of other people have.
It wasn’t my initial intention to go there, but I thought I needed to point out that your initial claim fell short in describing the issues people have had with you in online discussions. You can choose to dismiss my comment, or perhaps you might do some self-reflection and ask why so many people have that impression of you.
ml1 said:
you came here and claimed people have issues with your comments because they differ from the majority. You and I both know that’s not the whole story and I just pointed that out. I was going to leave it at that until you asked me for more detail. I’ve been in discussions with you on Facebook and I think you have been too dismissive of the experiences of African American members of our community. I didn’t call you a racist, much less a monster. But from your reply it seems like a number of other people have.
It wasn’t my initial intention to go there, but I thought I needed to point out that your initial claim fell short in describing the issues people have had with you in online discussions. You can choose to dismiss my comment, or perhaps you might do some self-reflection and ask why so many people have that impression of you.
How have I been dissimisive of the experience of the African America member community ? I do have a problem when people start calling other people racist when they do not know this person and simple because they are not agreeing with their views or opinion.
No one has called me a monster (nice try) I said that, but since their is a local group that from what I’ve read they love to promote me as “racist” and others who don’t see their views like them. And it’s not many that have that impression of me, its just a handful. Even my AA friends laugh when they read it. We will have to agree to disagree on this one. The most important thing here is that those who knows me .. knows I am not that kind of person you and that group think I am.
“hate has no home here” ... yeah right.
I’m an old white guy, but I think you’re being dismissive of the points I’m trying to make right now. It almost seems that you prefer to dismiss any point you don’t care for, rather than try to understand where it’s coming from.
ml1 said:
I’m an old white guy, but I think you’re being dismissive of the points I’m trying to make right now. It almost seems that you prefer to dismiss any point you don’t care for, rather than try to understand where it’s coming from.
I am happy to meet and discuss with you over Coffee. I would love that !! Sometimes posts doesn’t come out or reads the way you want it. PM !!
I’m going to pass on the coffee. We’ve been having this discussion in public, I
don’t see what’s gained by taking it private
ml1 said:
I’m going to pass on the coffee. We’ve been having this discussion in public, I
don’t see what’s gained by taking it private
Sometimes when you meet someone in person and have a conversation .. your opinion about that person might change. Hear them out exchange opinions ... you would be surprised. You might have many things in common. But thats ok if you do not want to meet. The invitation is always open.
ml1 said:
I’m going to pass on the coffee. We’ve been having this discussion in public, I
don’t see what’s gained by taking it private
What is gained by calling someone "racially insensitive" in public then? (with no examples)
lord_pabulum said:
ml1 said:What is gained by calling someone "racially insensitive" in public then? (with no examples)
I’m going to pass on the coffee. We’ve been having this discussion in public, I
don’t see what’s gained by taking it private
I suppose I should have declined to answer the question in the first place.
Regarding the party endorsement thing, I agree it is a huge advantage but in a community like ours where a lot of people are engaged in social media, any candidate can get a lot of visibility by working that effectively over time. It wouldn't necessarily be easy, but not impossible.
In the BOE election (yes, a different process), I voted for someone primarily because I read posts from him on various topics over the years and thought he is reasonable and smart, and I read posts from a few others who believed the same.
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When the Township of Maplewood was incorporated it was decided that Elections would be Partisan, that is, by Political Parties. Then for the next 70 years the Republican Party completely dominated the Township Committee. It is my understanding that the first Democrat was not elected until the 1970s and he was then defeated for re-election. the next Democrat was not elected until the late 80s.
I ask those critical of the system, what do you propose? South Orange has non-partisan elections. Has the governance of that Town been better than the governance of Maplewood? There is certainly a great amount of criticism by citizens of South Orange of their government. Is there any evidence that if Maplewood had non-partisan elections the make-up of the TC would be any different?