As we get closer to the election I feel it is necessary to comment again on the Ward 2 council race between Dr. Mike Kemmling and Neal Sawyer.
On Feb 8th this year I posted my primary reasons for supporting Mike Kemmling. To those reasons I feel it is important to add that Neal Sawyer voted for the 5% franchise fee.
Different items mean different things to people. Neal's vote for Jim Neighbor, was, to me, an insult to the folks in Ward 1, and to the democratic process itself. He, like some of his colleagues were basically turning a blind eye to the machinations that were occurring. And, his stand on the detail minutes elimination was also IMHO a swipe at the rights of the people.
So, again, I must say that I hope the voters of Ward 2 go with Mike Kemmling.
If you don't want to scroll down to my 2/8 posting I'll copy it below:
Mike Kemmling is challenging Neal Sawyer in the Ward 2 council race.
In an earlier post I indicated that I preferred Mike Kemmling over Neal Sawyer.
This was the toughest of the five positions for me to take sides. I like Neal. He always has acted like a gentleman on the council. So why would I choose Mike Kemmling for the council seat.
There have been many issues where Neal has said, what I feel to be the right things, but then has voted the opposite. On verious occasions before his vote he explains this.
Two items that he voted for stand out to me. He voted for the appointment of Jim Neighbor to the vacant Ward 1 seat caused by the Cheryl Scott debacle. He voted to eliminate full minutes of council poceedings.
These two items bother me as they, IMHO, take away certain rights of the citizens of the community. One right is to select their representative, the other being full transparency of what the governing body does.
I think it's time for a change in Ward 2 and feel that Mike Kemmling will bring a new perspective to the council.
