My work schedule being what it is, I have not been able to attend the various forums for the candidates, relying instead on media coverage and the opinions posted on the various blogs for information. My thanks to C. J., Dennis, Emerge, Vonster, Eye in the Sky, and many others for their concise and credible reporting. Also thank you to John Sharp of the Journal Star for his unbiased views. In an age when journalism tends to follow the crowd of mudslingers and hype, John's reporting has been exceptionally well balanced and fair to all the candidates.
Just had the opportunity to view the video coverage of the District 150 BOE candidates, and I have to say that hearing their responses to the questions did not change my opinions of the candidates from before. In District #2, the clear choice is Wolfmeyer. God love Mike Mitchell, I know his heart is in the right place and he wants to make a difference, but I just don't see him being able to turn the District around or get them on track.
In District #3, the choice is not as clear. Rick Cloyd and Janice Deissler are both viable candidates with their own qualities. Rick is an Administrator and an advocate for empowering children through programs like ELITE and CHOICES (both of which I am also an advocate for), but he has no formal background in education. Janice is a skilled and well-established member of the education community in Peoria, having taught many years in the district, and has some administration experience as well. Both are passionate about the children, and passionate about District 150. Since I have to pick one, I guess my question that never got asked (at least not by me) is why the four candidates for District #3 are all write-in candidates, is a little moot at this point. But I would still like to hear the answer. If any of you care to respond, please add it to the comments section below.
I will be reviewing the video of the City Council candidates later this evening when it is posted.
I figured it was because they thought Jim Stowell would run for re-election. When he filed for city council instead, they got into the race as write-ins. Jim Stowell always sounds like he's still running for school board but that's another matter.
ReplyDeleteAnd a good point for another blog. I am waiting until after the election to see who I can interview who did not get elected. And if Stowell did that deliberately to confuse the field, I think that pretty much merits a dismissal of his candidacy for City Council. Still, the seat was up for election, and if any of the candidates were considering running, they should have stepped up to the plate.
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