This is the literature for Ward 1 Councilman Chris Rodriguez. I’ve included it here to illustrate my concern with people who seek elected office who proffer little information to the voters, giving little to no insight into the personal makeup of the person who will exert power over their lives for the next several years. While Mr. Rodriguez claims feel-good buzz phrases like, “strengthening neighborhoods”, “improving safety” and “supporting economic development”, the fact is, these tell us nothing of the man underneath who will drive any of those things. For a clearer understanding of what has or hasn’t driven Mr. Rodriguez, I steer you to this blogpost:

https://votedixon.com/2017/10/06/whitehall-ward-1-councilman-chris-rodriguez-official-record.

Most anyone, including me, is pro-strong neighborhoods, pro-safety and pro-economic development but the character of the person driving these things is essential for the public to know, those most impacted by their decisions (Again, I refer you back to the above-referenced blogpost). What do we know about Mr. Rodriguez that he’s offered the public he wants to represent? Where is his bio? What specifically are his positions on economic development, the means to strengthening neighborhoods and improving safety? Are they heavy-handed, progressive or utilize innovation to succeed? Are the ethics of his decisions and plans considered or ignored? Where is his website dedicated to extolling his personal feelings on a myriad of topics so that citizens/voters can be more fully equipped to understand his positions? After all, those inform his decisions beyond the simplistic buzz-phrases, that which you have a right to know and he has an obligation to offer. It truly is the mark of a forthright and honest person, without having to be asked or told, to offer these things up voluntarily and gladly for the maximum benefit of those who are ‘shopping’ for a person to represent them in their government, bottom line, plain and simply.

We have seen the results of information omission all around us. We keep asking why things are getting worse. This is certainly one of the aspects at the frontlines of the solution to the worsening of things in our country. What is at the core of a person’s character that drives them? In an honest fashion we must demand to know that of people who will have impact over our lives. Buzz words and phrases and the selling of someone else’s work as your own is NOT good enough. For others in government to jump aboard the self-serving train and simplistically sell you on candidates with feel-good sentences is NOT good enough. To simply expect that the citizenry will accept the sweet pablum you mindlessly feed them is NOT good enough. To swallow that pablum and think it good enough to vote for them is NOT good enough. Not for Whitehall, not for America and not for the ideals that we’re sold generation after generation but that too many don’t actually live up to. It’s duplicitous, contemptuous and harmful to citizens and, quite frankly, I’m fed up with it. As voters I would hope you would be too.

I have told you the utter truth about myself and that of our elected officials, whom I’ve observed with critical thinking and judgement skills now for several years (Those skills which the Whitehall school system itself impressed upon me!). I respect you enough to trust in your capabilities to process information given and with it, make the fairest and best decisions for you and Whitehall itself, regardless of the outcome for myself. I was raised to believe that good and honorable people will rise and that honesty, and truth, are the best policy. I was taught it at the knee of my Mother and her parents, as well as the best ideals society inspires us to (which includes the director Frank Capra). As such, giving the public all the information they need to make such an informed and valuable decision as to whom will represent their interests in office, has been underneath all these writings and exposure of my life and character to you…because I owe you that much. It is done so out of the highest degree of respect for you, those I ask to trust me to represent them and all the democratic processes which have made this country so great and which continue to inspire all of us towards what better possibilities there are for each of us.