To the editor:
In the upcoming primary, the ballot has very few choices with most the same old candidates, a not-so-subtle move of musical chairs in one precinct to enable an old name to resurface, and maybe a couple young unknown Republicans.
If folks continue to elect people because they’ve always been on the council, because they are longtime friends of your family, fellow members of a civic or fraternal group that you belong to, close or distant relatives, old schoolmates, co-workers, etc. then nothing will improve. No new thinking will be considered, the behind-the-scene groups with money will actually be running everything.
The old saying is that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing the same way over and over again and expecting different (better) results. If you paid even slight interest to the new-jail debacle, then you know the current crews were chaotic, confused and indecisive at best. If that’s what you like, then vote for the incumbents and watch what happens as we need better police and fire staffing and less maxed-out taxes, while some department heads, the prosecutor and other county/city agencies strongly request that the No. 1 priority is new, large offices with all the latest, state-of-the-art furnishings.
So just take a minute to see what you are actually voting for. Be receptive enough to try someone new; someone who values the historic buildings and district; someone who actually votes the most fiscally sound moves; someone who isn’t beholden to some behind-the-scenes group with money; and someone who doesn’t throw a hissy fit whenever things don’t go their way. New names could be our eventual new, most effective leaders ever!
Dennis V. Dunn
Greenfield
