By Hayley Kappes
The Daily News
Published April 23, 2010
FRIENDSWOOD — With about two weeks left until election day, city council Position 4 candidate Billy Enochs has $7 left in his campaign budget, and he is determined to make it last.
Enochs, an executive leadership consultant, promised to accept no campaign contributions and to spend no more than $500 of his money.
He set the limit to prove a point. Enochs said voters are frustrated with excessive campaign spending at every government level. He wanted to show a person could run a city council campaign on a limited budget.
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Please see Galveston Daily News front page for the entire story.
The following comments have been posted to the GDN article.
Luke Primrose (workorfish)April 23, 2010 6:34 AM
I applaud all candidates who have listened to the majority of voters tired of massive election spending and the "vote buying" scams it can spawn. Now if we can elevate this mentality to state level campaigns we may eventually get to the national level - not in our liftimes.
Paul Smith (paulsmith77565)April 23, 2010 8:50 AM
Luke, you stated my thoughts exactly. Not long ago League City voters were clueless as to who financed the campaigns for mayor and council members. It was not unusual for a single candidate to have multiple $5,000 contributions from individual developers and city contractors. More telling were the $10,000+ mega contributions from “special interest” PACs.
Times are changing in League City. In a written pledge to citizens, Joanna Sharp-Dawson, current candidate for council, proclaimed “I have not and will not ever accept contributions from developers, Political Action Committees (PACs) or any special interest group.”
Such commitments have become common and have been made by most of the recently elected city officials. I applaud Bill Enoch, Joanna Sharp, and others that publically pledge to forego the easy path of big money from special interest groups.
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This article raises good questions for the Candidates Forum.
CCV Residents and West Side League City Residents Monday April 26'th 7:00PM Christus Victor Lutheran Church (Located in front of Clear Creek Village off 518)
Great opportunity to meet all the candidates and ask the probing questions.
13 comments:
Serioulsy Paul, have you looked at some of the bag man that were on the list last year who donated money to your candidates? Pull your head out of the sand son!
Marc,
I am surprised you want to discuss campaign finance contributions.
But go ahead junior!
(Paul Smith) I'm as surprised as you are that Mr. Edelman would want to discuss campaign contributions.
Perhaps we should go back and examine his history on the topic. Look at how things went when he ran on a slate heavily supported by special interest money.
He has always supported special interests. That's what elitists do. His comments and actions, especially over the past few years,
betray any notion that he supports open, efficient, and proactive government.
He is a local rino pusher, which more than anything spells deceptive.
How has that deception been working out for you, Mr. Edelman?
At the open house, I ran into one councilmember and in conversation noted how quiet everything had been in this election, almost like someon was holding back all their ammo for a major offensive.
Some ground troops may be beginning to move into position.
....
GDN comments
Marc Edelman (medelman2k)
April 25, 2010 10:03 AM
I think we need to solve traffic problems too. However, the city does not do a good job of managing citizens and their concerns. There has been a bad history of double talk and complete lack of concern for citizens and their concerns. I think there is a middle ground where the citizens can have some input into the planning of the project and the goals of the bypass can be met, without harsh feelings by the impacted citizens. We should care about our neighbors. We should not be known as "League City, get out of the way or be run over". There are ways to get this project done so that our neighbors who will live close by to this can be happy too. We have to start by a Townhall meeting to allow the citizens to committee up and be part of the plan. Hmm, maybe a 518 bypass steering committee
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On Watch (Onwatch)
April 25, 2010 10:42 AM #5 of 7
Bob, and Marc you guys are right on, its double talk alright, just like when, after years of talk, the plan to build a bridge on Palomino and no one complained. THEN all of the sudden a few people complain and what did you do then Mr. Paulissen? You and the Mayor shut down the whole project, now I sit in traffic on this side of town because of a few complainers, do you think we don’t believe that you will do the same on the bypass? If Ken Clark says jump? You say___
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From Think Tank (jan 28)
Marc Edelman said...
For the most part I am not against these improvement projects, quite to the contrary, I am just against funding studies that never yield any completed projects due to lack of support to fund them.
(BHL note: we had just been talking the 518 bypass - although Marc did not directly get involved, PH said let's get er done
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I find it interesting that Marc is NOW saying we need a steering committee when this project has been known for sometime (in fact I was the one asking questions - about the traffic reduction levels - back in Jan, not Marc who wants a new committee), and now all of a sudden we have NIMBY folks starting to come out of the woodworks.
Okay BHL, let's go with your plan and just run everyone over. Gee, damned if you do, damned if you don't. Which side are you on on this issue? The only thing clear is I am constantly in your cross hairs.
Paul, look at the contribution filings, two thousand dollars from two individuals, sure it happened like that . We all know where the 4k came from.
Marc
Marc,
tsk tsk, where do I advocate running everyone over? You should never put words in someone else's mouth. It makes you uncredible.
It's interesting that you continually duck the issues at hand; deletions of posts, seemingly contradictory statements, failure to ask questions, etc. Yet you seem to have no problem attacking me for asking questions instead of answering them with a straightforward and objective response.
If you seem to be getting caught up in the crosshairs, perhaps it's because you've made youself a willing target by continually obfuscating. You have no one to blame but yourself. But I'm sure you'll be blaming me as well as others in the times to come.
Marc,
The conversation was about the candidates.
Also, the charter amendments should be a topic of conversation.
I support the most knowledgeable and experienced candidate – Joanna Sharp.
Like you, I support the conversion to Council/City Manager form of government.
In the future I MAY address all issues regarding Campaign Finance, and your past campaign donations and your voting practices as commissioner on Planning and Zoning. That is a topic for another day.
By the way, DON’T refer to me as “SON”. I have met your son. He appears as a bright, intelligent young man in his early teens. I am 62 years old and my son is 32.
Marc, how about you discuss the campaign issues
BHL,
There is a big difference between a steering committee and funding studies with consultants. It is plain to see for the readers that you are twisting the facts, and framing me in a way that makes it seem that I wake up and my opinions follow the wind. This is not true. I have a documented history of taking a stand and performing public service in this community that shows that I do ask the hard questions and I do look out for the citizens. Ask anyone in "The Meadows". When a high pressure well pipeline threatened their neighborhood, I did the right thing despite other political pressure from past campaign contributors. No contribution to my past campaign for council has ever been influenced any decision I ever made on Planning and Zoning. I have no further political ambition to run for office, so campaign contributions past or present are irrelevant. Ask the residents of Tuscan Lakes when City staff had woefully let them down and my hours of research on the PZ issue of a high pressure natural gasoline pipeline through there neighborhood revealed many problems and potential dangers with the project. When I went out and audited approved projects to make sure the applicants had followed the rules and discovered they had not, this was community service for the citizens. My commitment to the citizens is on the record by my work for 15 years in this community. Where is your community public service record sir? It is easy to take pot shots at people who take a stand on the issues. I have a Job, I have a family and I have an obligation to my fellow citizens of community service to make sure my community thrives. I believe that what I do is for the good of the community, there is no malice, corruption or other skullduggery in my work. You can't beat me into submission.
Mr. Smith,
A judge will soon settle our ongoing discussion, one of us will eat crow. Maybe it will be me, but what ever the outcome, it will be settled.
Marc
oh Marc, Marc...
This is not about those good things you have done or will do in the future. That I do not dispute. It's about the things you have done with regards to your recent postings in a non-transparent manner. Even Moses for all the good he did, was not allowed into the promised land because of one wrong action.
Of course I recognize there is a big difference between a steering commitee and a consulting review. But why suggest a steering commitee now, when the plans are ready to implement. Why was nothing said all those years the proposal was in work? It's not like the bypass plans were being done in secret (unlike other plans of the past administration); and what of the costs to the city for revising plans that may come out of this steering committee, not to mention the continued problems with the traffic while the committee meets, suggests, and has suggestions reviewed and studied?
It's interesting that instead of explaining in detail or discussing my specific issue of "Marc is NOW saying we need a steering committee when this project has been known for sometime" , you once again obfuscate by bringing up your good works and not addressing the specific point. Again, there's that easy target that you place upon yourself. When one obfuscates, another questions what's being hid.
As for you challenging my community service, the shame is on you. I guess coaching kids in soccer, or volunteering in the schools, or helping in and through the church counts for nothing. I guess only those that take positions within city boards and committees and have their name on documents and minutes are worthy.
hmmm seems to me that I once had this same conversation with Mallios - years ago. Do you remember some of those discussions? Do you see some similarities? Did you forget how I was critical of some of Mayor Randall's early actions? I certainly can't be accused of blindly favoring one side or the other now can I? It's not about the politics Marc. Politics is just the forum of discussion. The sooner you understand that, the sooner you'll understand what I'm getting at.
Gee Wiz BHL,
I guess you don't get my point either. I was not intending to say you had no community service record, it is just that since nobody knows your name or who you are, we have no way to know anything about you.
To answer your question about why a steering committee now, here is how I see it. When the Glen Cove people erupted, I spoke with many of them. They were angered because none of them knew there was no bridge coming. They say the Mayor told them it would be rebuilt. However, they were ill informed, and uninvolved. Through my attendance at council meetings I knew no bridge was being rebuilt. Since that time, tens of thousands, actually hundreds of thousands of our tax dollars have been wasted on useless lawsuits. The city has historically done a bad job of involving the communities to be impacted by development issues just like this. So yes, it is late in the game. I am suggesting it because I do not want a Glen Cove II or III. Why is this suggestion seemingly a point of contention for you? Yes, I do believe the Bayou Brae and other subdivision people should have paying more attention earlier and gotten involved a while ago if they have objections. However, you need to decide if we should stop the class and go back and help the slower students, or should we just move on and fail Johnny.
Now we're communicating. That's a good thing. I think your concern about a GC2 because of the bypass is based on an apples to oranges analysis.
For the sake of argument, let's say the folks in GC missed a OMG moment by not attending all the council meetings. The fact is they were informed by city officials that the bridge would be rebuilt. At that point, it is not incumbent upon the GC residents to stay plugged in for possible changes. There should be no debate on that.
But on the hypothetical that they were at those meetings, would things have changed from where they are now? What's the likelihood that the end result would have been different? Not very likely as city officials made a conscientious decision to make the Scotto deal, well knowing of their promise to GC. If someone's going to renege, they're going to renege.
As for the bypass, it has been public knowledge for some time. No one from the city, to my knowledge, has made any promises to the residents of Bayou Brae. Knowing that plans were afoot, it is the responsibility of the residents to find out what is occuring and get their inputs in upfront.
So before we as a city decide to halt bypass progress in order to "bring Johnny up to speed", we as a city need to assess the impacts of doing so. Otherwise it'll be more of the same where a small few hold the city hostage and we do more never-ending studies. The truth is we'll never find a solution that makes everyone happy. Sometimes Johnny needs to be allowed to fail and in the process find (with help) alternatives that are better suited for him, as opposed to holding up the entire class and causing them to lag behind.
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