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No thank you for petty politics
(by Dave Lange - October 22, 2008)
COUNTY LINE, BY DAVE LANGE
No thank you for petty politics
Politics can be a thankless job.
Take the political-action committee known as Citizens to Preserve Chardon Traditions, for instance. The PAC was formed during the 2007 election season in a campaign to prevent candidates supported by the Geauga County Democratic Party from getting elected to Chardon City Council.
No thanks to the so-called traditions group, Councilwoman Deborah M. Reiter finished first among the five candidates running for three City Council seats last November. The PAC specifically opposed her re-election and targeted Councilman Jefferey Campbell, who isn't up for re-election for another year, because they were supported by the Democratic Party. It actively supported the re-election of Councilmen Philip King, who finished third to retain his seat, and Andrew K. Blackley, who finished fourth to lose his, and the election of political newcomer Robert J. Cromwell, who placed second.
Citizens to Preserve Chardon Traditions campaigned on the platform that the community had a tradition of nonpartisanship among local elected officials. It professed outrage that party politics would interfere with the tradition of council members working together for the common good of the city. There was no mention of its endorsed candidates' association with another political party. And it didn't explain how its own monetary support from developers was for the common good of the community.
When it came time to thank Citizens to Preserve Chardon Traditions for its recent hard work on behalf of another Chardon tradition recently, Mrs. Reiter and Mr. Campbell said thanks, but no thanks. The PAC has taken a leading role in opposing a campaign by residents in far eastern Geauga County to shift the route of new electric power lines from their rural neighborhoods to the Geauga Park District's Maple Highlands Trail in the Chardon area.
Joined by Councilwoman Mary Bramstedt, the non-traditionalists rejected -- at least temporarily -- a resolution of appreciation for the group's efforts to protect Chardon's tradition against having such power lines. The 3-3 impasse could be broken with the return of Councilman King, who missed the last meeting.
It's not that they don't appreciate the recent cooperative efforts of Citizens to Preserve Chardon Traditions against the power lines, according to those opposing the resolution, but they did not appreciate the group's previous divisive political activity. In fact, they said, Chardon does not have a tradition of issuing resolutions to political groups.
Chardon City Council, like most local legislative bodies, commonly issues resolutions of recognition for a wide variety of contributions to the community. Seldom do any of them encounter resistance, because saying thank you for a job well done is a simple matter of good manners.
If it seems rather petty for three council members to vote against this common courtesy, that's because it was.
This was an opportunity for small-town politicians to stand above small-town politics in one fleeting moment of solidarity. It was a chance for them to show that Chardon's common interests are bigger than their narrow individual grudges. It was a chance for them to show their constituents that Citizens to Preserve Chardon Traditions was wrong in questioning their loyalties. Mr. Campbell, Mrs. Reiter and Mrs. Bramstedt could have shown some diplomacy and graciousness. But they said, no thanks.
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