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How To Really Get Involved In Beacon Politics
I recently asked if there was something wrong with the Democratic Party in Beacon. I asked this because it seemed to me that the Democratic Committee was attempting to disenfranchise Democratic Candidates who weren't hand picked by the party and were making their primary and fund raising challenges very difficult. The local Democratic Party Boss, Charles Kelly, replied that they could only pick 8 people out of 17 applicants but failed to state that all the Committee members running, including him, were self-appointed as part of the 8. I suggested some reforms that would make the nomination process more democratic and responsive to the people. But Boss Kelly didn't respond to these and suggested that the best way to get involved was to go to meetings, ignoring my suggestion and the whole online community forum concept at the same time. I thought it would be helpful to point out that there are other ways for members here to really get involved in Beacon Politics – circa 21st Century. Here are seven suggestions.
1. Don't Let Politicians Substitute Meetings for Real Community Involvement
If our politicians wanted the involvement of the 14,000 members of our community, they would have meetings at Dutchess County Stadium. When Boss Kelly states that if one wants to become involved in local politics they should attend a meeting, he knows that only a few people will show up and that the vast majority of residents will be left out of the process. If politicians were really interested in a democratic process they would use electronic forums to gather and synthesize the views of the community.
2. Be Citizen Journalists
Take the attitude of a journalist. By this I don't mean be a political partisan commentator. Rather, don't take a politician's words for granted but look at the body of public record and examine it, and when this record is not readily available do a little digging. For example, I wondered if Boss Kelly's dismissal of suggestions to reform Beacon politics was just a one time event, or whether there was a history of disdain for the citizens of Beacon. I started looking at past City Council and Workshop minutes and it didn't take me long to find another example. In August of 2006, Boss Kelly is on record advocating that the City not mention "Hiddenbrooke" when floating a bond issue to the public for the purchase of "Hiddenbrooke." He said that the city should use the phrase, Open Space, because if the actual use – the purchase of Hiddenbrooke – was used in the referendum it would be defeated. That's respecting the public, the voters of Beacon and the democratic process.
I've got other questions about conflicts of interest surrounding other incumbents running for office and some new candidates as well -- about council members receiving variances for personal real estate ventures, about council members receiving consulting fees for representing other communities competing for business with Beacon, about candidates receiving city monies in lawsuits against the city. In a town without a working press, investigating these and other events responsibly and reporting is another way to get involved in the local political process.
3. Reward Responsiveness
Most of the philosophical issues that are the mainstay of national party politics are irrelevant to local politics in Beacon. Whatever the personal views of local politicians might be, issues of choice, health care, gay marriage, and the effectiveness of torture aren't part our small town decision-making. (Advocating stronger gun control ordinances in Beacon would be interesting however. I'd like to see the Democrats here make that a priority, or at least answer why they don't.) Both Republican and Democratic members of the Council seem to be for the local meat and potatoes meals of environmental protection, open spaces, improvement of Main Street and the Waterfront, safer neighborhoods and sensible real estate development. I actually see little difference between the views of either party when it comes to the issues affecting the town that the Council or the Mayor has some control over.
So what criteria should be used to pick our elected leaders and how do we get involved? There are of course many things to consider including simple things like how effective that person will be when advocating for the city and its residents. But if one wants to get involved, one criterion might be to ask questions and see how responsive the candidate is, in person, or for most voters, online. Mayor Gold is pretty good at this. He comes online regularly here and on the other discussion board, even in the face of opposition from old-timers. And Randy Casale and John Forman are always ready with an answer for issues that arise online. I'm a Democrat through and through, but Randy and John deserve support for just being helpful and respectful, even to citizens they don't know. They don't ask citizens to come to them like Boss Kelly. They don't ignore the online community like Sara Pasti. They reach out to the citizens of Beacon on their own, jumping in when they feel they can be helpful.
4. Facilitate Online Dialogue
A while back I suggested that candidates for office use BCN as an outlet to state their political positions and why they were running for office. If they wanted to make that forum more of a town hall, then comments from BCN members would be welcome, but if the candidates were shy about online dialog, just their views would be welcome. Not a single candidate responded, and in fact, the person who organized the local city website was quite vocal about working against such a forum. I found this quite ironic because the development of the new website didn't involve the community it was serving at all. Her reason was she didn't like me, which is like saying that the League of Women Voters shouldn't sponsor voter education because someone doesn't like one of their board members. As I said before, I could care less who moderates such a forum, and urge one of you to step up so that we and other voters and Beacon have a chance to get to know our candidates. Is anyone game or is apathy the order of the day? It's a good way to get involved.
The last three ways to get involved are self-explanatory.
5. Fight for Open Government and the Democratic Process
6. Try to Reform a System that Needs a Transfusion
7. Share Your Opinions on Community Discussion Boards
1. Don't Let Politicians Substitute Meetings for Real Community Involvement
If our politicians wanted the involvement of the 14,000 members of our community, they would have meetings at Dutchess County Stadium. When Boss Kelly states that if one wants to become involved in local politics they should attend a meeting, he knows that only a few people will show up and that the vast majority of residents will be left out of the process. If politicians were really interested in a democratic process they would use electronic forums to gather and synthesize the views of the community.
2. Be Citizen Journalists
Take the attitude of a journalist. By this I don't mean be a political partisan commentator. Rather, don't take a politician's words for granted but look at the body of public record and examine it, and when this record is not readily available do a little digging. For example, I wondered if Boss Kelly's dismissal of suggestions to reform Beacon politics was just a one time event, or whether there was a history of disdain for the citizens of Beacon. I started looking at past City Council and Workshop minutes and it didn't take me long to find another example. In August of 2006, Boss Kelly is on record advocating that the City not mention "Hiddenbrooke" when floating a bond issue to the public for the purchase of "Hiddenbrooke." He said that the city should use the phrase, Open Space, because if the actual use – the purchase of Hiddenbrooke – was used in the referendum it would be defeated. That's respecting the public, the voters of Beacon and the democratic process.
I've got other questions about conflicts of interest surrounding other incumbents running for office and some new candidates as well -- about council members receiving variances for personal real estate ventures, about council members receiving consulting fees for representing other communities competing for business with Beacon, about candidates receiving city monies in lawsuits against the city. In a town without a working press, investigating these and other events responsibly and reporting is another way to get involved in the local political process.
3. Reward Responsiveness
Most of the philosophical issues that are the mainstay of national party politics are irrelevant to local politics in Beacon. Whatever the personal views of local politicians might be, issues of choice, health care, gay marriage, and the effectiveness of torture aren't part our small town decision-making. (Advocating stronger gun control ordinances in Beacon would be interesting however. I'd like to see the Democrats here make that a priority, or at least answer why they don't.) Both Republican and Democratic members of the Council seem to be for the local meat and potatoes meals of environmental protection, open spaces, improvement of Main Street and the Waterfront, safer neighborhoods and sensible real estate development. I actually see little difference between the views of either party when it comes to the issues affecting the town that the Council or the Mayor has some control over.
So what criteria should be used to pick our elected leaders and how do we get involved? There are of course many things to consider including simple things like how effective that person will be when advocating for the city and its residents. But if one wants to get involved, one criterion might be to ask questions and see how responsive the candidate is, in person, or for most voters, online. Mayor Gold is pretty good at this. He comes online regularly here and on the other discussion board, even in the face of opposition from old-timers. And Randy Casale and John Forman are always ready with an answer for issues that arise online. I'm a Democrat through and through, but Randy and John deserve support for just being helpful and respectful, even to citizens they don't know. They don't ask citizens to come to them like Boss Kelly. They don't ignore the online community like Sara Pasti. They reach out to the citizens of Beacon on their own, jumping in when they feel they can be helpful.
4. Facilitate Online Dialogue
A while back I suggested that candidates for office use BCN as an outlet to state their political positions and why they were running for office. If they wanted to make that forum more of a town hall, then comments from BCN members would be welcome, but if the candidates were shy about online dialog, just their views would be welcome. Not a single candidate responded, and in fact, the person who organized the local city website was quite vocal about working against such a forum. I found this quite ironic because the development of the new website didn't involve the community it was serving at all. Her reason was she didn't like me, which is like saying that the League of Women Voters shouldn't sponsor voter education because someone doesn't like one of their board members. As I said before, I could care less who moderates such a forum, and urge one of you to step up so that we and other voters and Beacon have a chance to get to know our candidates. Is anyone game or is apathy the order of the day? It's a good way to get involved.
The last three ways to get involved are self-explanatory.
5. Fight for Open Government and the Democratic Process
6. Try to Reform a System that Needs a Transfusion
7. Share Your Opinions on Community Discussion Boards
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Charlene Vesuvius on -
Perhaps then, you can explain once and for all, why you believe it is better for registered Democrats and for all Beacon voters not to have a say in who runs for office through the primary process, why it is better for the Democratic Committee to stack the deck in favor of yours and a few others hand picked candidates, why it is better to discourage primary challenges, why your way is progressive as you say, and why an antiquated party machine doesn't adopt the attitudes of the new politics.
Charles P. Kelly said:Nice try CV, but it will not fly. Charlie
Charlene Vesuvius said:Today, I was listening to NPR and commentary by Alan Chartok, political scientist and president of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio. Dr. Chartok, as progressive a voice as there is when it comes to politics, was talking about Carolyn Maloney's challenge to Kirsten Gillibrand despite the Democratic Party Machine's efforts to do everything possible to discourage primary challenges for this Senate seat. Dr. Chartok pointed out that primaries invariably lead to stronger candidates and it was shameful for Democratic Politicians to not want the people to have a voice. It's a lesson for Boss Kelly and a reminder that when the Boss claims that he is a progressive, he is nothing of the sort.
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