richardb
enthusiast
Posts: 406
Loc: Allen
Reg: 04-17-00
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01-05-12 11:28 PM - Post#144022
In response to RRRquilter
This article really got my attention. How could so much misleading info mistakenly have been put in his bio without him knowing it?
After attending the Allen Tea Party candidate forum tonight, I'm more confident than ever that I chose correctly in casting my vote for Mr. Hollingsworth. The feeling I got after hearing both candidates is Mr. Hollingsworth is ready to roll his sleeves up and go to work representing the citizens of Allen. The feeling I got after Mr. Brooks spoke is he's ready to add 'City Council Member' to his resume.
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Allenite
enthusiast
Posts: 303
Loc: Allen, TX, USA
Reg: 06-18-01
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01-06-12 12:36 AM - Post#144023
In response to richardb
I found the article ridiculous. I will also speculate that the Allen American did NOT decide to check this information out just on a whim. Someone pointed them in this direction. Why? If the other candidate or his supporters wishes to open up a can of worms regarding college activities & records, I think they should be careful. I don't like this type of thing one bit. It's because of this type of tactics that I believe that Baine is a better choice, and the best candidate for Allen. I don't want "gotcha" campaigns in Allen.
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richardb
enthusiast
Posts: 406
Loc: Allen
Reg: 04-17-00
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01-06-12 08:06 AM - Post#144027
In response to Allenite
"Gotcha campaigns", maybe not. Honest campaigns, most definately. If Mr. Baine purposely allowed misleading information which was intended to impress voters, I have an issue with that. I know honesty in the national political arena is sometimes a pipe dream, but I expect more at the local level. The voters of Allen who decide who our next council representative will be have a right to know the truth about who's asking for their vote, and consequently, have the right to know the truth about what the candidates publish as their achievements.
At the candidate's forum last night sponsored by the Allen Tea Party, Mr. Brooks thanked Mr. Hollingsworth for running a clean campaign, so apparently he thinks Luke or his supporters weren't responsible for the information.
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rw
member
Posts: 427
Reg: 10-11-01
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01-06-12 08:59 AM - Post#144029
In response to richardb
One thing for sure...based on what I know about the the Allen American and their reporting, they did not dig into this issue on their own...some one or some group gave them the information...
It looks like he had an outstanding baseball career on it's own merits, so see no need to be misleading about it. He was All Conference in 1987 at Oklahoma, per a quick google search...
I am still undecided about who gets my vote...and I do vote. I am not sure I can support a candidate that is beholden to a single interest neighborhood group.
Edited by rw on 01-06-12 09:07 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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richardb
enthusiast
Posts: 406
Loc: Allen
Reg: 04-17-00
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01-06-12 09:55 AM - Post#144033
In response to rw
I am not sure I can support a candidate that is beholden to a single interest neighborhood group.
That Mr. Hollingsworth is beholden to a single interest neighborhood group has been blown way out of proportion. If asked, every neighborhood in Allen could be linked to a single interest of some sort or another.
In last week's Allen American, Mr. Brooks stated he was very much in support of the affore mentioned neighborhood in their efforts to prevent the bus barn from being built in close proximity to their homes. Same position as Luke, just didn't think of it first. I think Baine even walked that neighborhood last week in an attempt sway some of the votes to his favor. As I mentioned before, in a very low turnout election, which this will be, a candidate looks for every legit credible endorsement they can get in an effort to translate that to votes.
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richardb
enthusiast
Posts: 406
Loc: Allen
Reg: 04-17-00
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01-06-12 11:47 AM - Post#144041
In response to rw
Another tidbit of information that came out last night at the candidate's forum, and on the lighter side which is good in an election, Mr. Brooks and Mr. Hollingsworth attend the same church and sing in the choir together.
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vrs
enthusiast
Posts: 2631
Loc: Allen, Texas
Reg: 04-20-00
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01-06-12 11:57 AM - Post#144042
In response to richardb
I feel blessed to live in a City so well run that the big energy in a City Council Race is being generated around a School District issue and the precise designation of one candidate's College Baseball Awards. There ARE things we need to be talking about - jobs, water, CBD, regional transportation, buildout, infrastructure in the older neighborhoods, etc. - which are legitimate City concerns to be addressed and no one is talking about them.
Conner Hammet is a very good reporter. Fair, balanced, professional. We are fortunate to have him on our beat. At the same time, I know he is stretched beyond belief and I strongly doubt he would have chosen to dig in to this particular story without someone giving it to him as a lead. He doesn't have time and it is not his style.
The folks who live in the neighborhoods near the barn have done nothing wrong in endorsing a candidate. That's their right. They are taking a single-member district mentality into a race for an "at-large" position.
When I was on the school board, some of these same folks were upset about something else (yes, I live in a neighborhood near the proposed site) and circulated an email in the neighborhood that said "well, a person would THINK it would be an advantage to have a school board trustee living in your neighborhood but apparently it doesn't matter." My response was - thank-you, you just confirmed that I am doing the job I was elected to do - represent ALL of Allen without prejudice, even at the expense of my own personal best interests.
I wrote Luke early on and I asked him if his opposition to the barn had been misrepresented by the stop the barn folks (because it seemed so bizarre that a Council candidate would stake a position like that) and he said unequivocally that he opposes the current location. He has since attended several meetings in the neighborhood focusing on the barn issue.
Early in Luke's campaign, he only highlighted three issues on his website - water, the bus barn, and recycling. In my opinion that was a very very very immature view of the things we should be talking about in a City Council race. The bus barn got more real estate on his own campaign website than any other issue at the time.
I looked again last week and there are other issues out there now but he is certainly late to the game in figuring out what constitutes the legitimate business of the Allen City Council and who he represents.
Luke has a real problem right now. Do we believe that he has forsaken his obligation to be an "at large" representative and he is genuinely beholden to this neighborhood group and will try to use his council seat proactively to get the district to move the barn? (I assure you, the stop the barn organization expects this of him, even to the point of alluding to COA initiating litigation against AISD.) Now, that's not Luke saying that - but it IS the people with whom he has aligned himself.
Do we believe he is the kind of person who will say anything to get elected and then forget about it or "raise his hand if it ever comes before the Council"?
Do we believe he was simply misguided? Honestly, I think he WAS a little misguided and perhaps even a little taken advantage of in his inexperience. All the Council candidates were contacted by the stop the barn group. Four of them said - this is a school issue (and Baine is still saying that in the article in the AA). If there is something we can do to help the AISD with an alternate we will, but ultimately it is their decision. Luke was the only one who took a position of opposition to the AISD.
Mind you, Luke was not in closed session with the AISD Board when real estate was discussed. He has no knowledge of what other sites were considered and rejected. What may have been more appropriate but would have to be taken by eminent domain. I wasn't on the Board. I don't know either. The Board has no dog in this hunt. If they can have a bunch of happy people or a bunch of unhappy people they are going to make happy people if they can. If they have to do something that makes people UN-happy, they have very very very good reasons.
Things like single member vs at large representation mindsets and respect for and appreciation of the constraints that elected officials operate within are not something I expect a neighborhood group to grasp. Stop the Barn is arguing passionately for something they believe in and looking for every option to win the day. However, I DO expect an elected official - or someone who is standing for office - to understand and respect those things.
Again, I don't think Luke is bad or dishonest or even being deliberately disingenuous. But his inexperience has painted him into a tough corner and he is trying to tap dance out of it now.
As for the Baine Brooks just wants to add City Council to his resume comment, that is an interesting spin on the fact that he has a lot more service and leadership experience than his opponent.
I am very disappointed that a race that COULD have been a great opportunity to collectively discuss our hopes for the future of the City of Allen has devolved into this.
| Blessed be the cracked, for they let in the light. |
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richardb
enthusiast
Posts: 406
Loc: Allen
Reg: 04-17-00
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01-06-12 01:08 PM - Post#144048
In response to vrs
Victoria, I have a tremendous respect for you and the committments you have given to our community. You and I have crossed each other's paths many times before and I'm sure we will again. We both have a profound desire and committment to see that Allen continues to provide the best lifestyle for our families and education for our children.
It was Baine's supporters who first made an issue of support from a particular neighborhood a major issue in this election. There are those who have posted in this forum who haven't stated reasons they're voting for Baine, but rather the reason they aren't voting for Luke is because he had received the endorsement of the 'no barn' neighborhood. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, including both you and I. My 'resume' comment is based on the feeling I had after last night's forum and heard similar responses from a couple of people after the meeting, so I wasn't alone in my perception of what was said.
You and I and all citizens of Allen are extremely fortunate for the leadership we've received from our elected officials, both council and school board, and I have no reason to believe that trend won't continue regardless of who wins the run-off. Whether it be Baine or Luke who wins, there will be no affect on how the council continues to operate.
I'm sure I'll see you soon. Take care.
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Al C
enthusiast
Posts: 5538
Loc: McKinney/Allen, TX
Reg: 02-16-01
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01-06-12 01:48 PM - Post#144050
In response to Allenite
I found the article ridiculous. I will also speculate that the Allen American did NOT decide to check this information out just on a whim. Someone pointed them in this direction. Why? If the other candidate or his supporters wishes to open up a can of worms regarding college activities & records, I think they should be careful. I don't like this type of thing one bit. It's because of this type of tactics that I believe that Baine is a better choice, and the best candidate for Allen. I don't want "gotcha" campaigns in Allen.
Not unlike the group that tried to sell Mr. Baril as some sort of global warming nutjob because he used the words "sustainable growth."
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vrs
enthusiast
Posts: 2631
Loc: Allen, Texas
Reg: 04-20-00
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01-06-12 11:02 PM - Post#144064
In response to richardb
| Blessed be the cracked, for they let in the light. |
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richardb
enthusiast
Posts: 406
Loc: Allen
Reg: 04-17-00
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01-06-12 11:28 PM - Post#144065
In response to vrs
back at ya.
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RRRquilter
enthusiast
Posts: 1243
Loc: Allen
Reg: 05-02-05
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01-07-12 01:09 PM - Post#144079
In response to richardb
For me the whole run-off is kind of like picking the lesser of two evils (not that either one of them is evil). There was a reason I did not vote for either one the first time.
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vrs
enthusiast
Posts: 2631
Loc: Allen, Texas
Reg: 04-20-00
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01-07-12 01:21 PM - Post#144080
In response to RRRquilter
Even if one feels that way (as I do in many elections - like the upcoming presidential) I feel it's still better to choose and vote than to let someone else make the decision for me.
(And I know you did not say you weren't planning to vote - you simply observed you did not have a warm fuzzy about either choice. I am just extrapolating your comment.)
Speaking of which, today is the ONLY SATURDAY in this election cycle!!!
| Blessed be the cracked, for they let in the light. |
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RRRquilter
enthusiast
Posts: 1243
Loc: Allen
Reg: 05-02-05
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01-07-12 01:39 PM - Post#144081
In response to vrs
Yes, I will still be voting. Wouldn't be able to complain otherwise 
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smittycr
newbie
Posts: 7
Reg: 05-17-11
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01-10-12 06:14 PM - Post#144146
In response to RRRquilter
Yes! Someone else that believes you shouldn't complain unless you vote.
I have some friends that I do not discuss politics with because they don't vote (and hey, I'm talking NEVER vote not that they missed a few). They always get quiet when I ask them if they voted or not.
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