This is literature being put out, door to door, by, or on behalf of, Whitehall Mayor Kim Maggard. It is paid for by her political committee: ‘Citizens for Kim Maggard’. It serves, essentially, as a pseudo-political party voting guide, except in this case, it acts as the ‘Whitehall Maggard Party’.

There are several ethical lapses present in it, as well as truths which should be pointed out:

A: Its appearance makes it seem like some kind of official voting document, whereas in reality, it is merely a slick propaganda piece aimed at securing Mayor Maggard’s lockdown on our government for her benefit. Where it creates a self-beneficial level of indebtedness amongst those she uses her political clout to help secure votes, all which helps her amass and keep her power.

B: There are several on this flier who are, sadly, running unopposed: Mayor Maggard, City Attorney Bivens, Treasurer Steve Quincel and former Councilperson (nearly 20 years ago) Tom Potter. It’s simple, they merely vote for themselves and they’re in. They don’t need you to vote for them. I say, not voting for them sends a signal that you don’t support candidates merely being handed power in our community. It sends a signal that lack of participation in our shared government is okay. However, in her giving this support via the literature, those candidates are reminded of the Mayors self-serving beneficence, that which helped them get votes where they didn’t campaign to get one. Apparently, allowing the Mayor to campaign for you saves time and money for a job that, quite honestly, is simply theirs for the taking.

C: The Mayor’s lacks ethics is again in play in using taxpayer-funded photos to bolster personal campaigns. Where a photographer being paid with tax dollars takes professional photographs at events and functions which she then uses (thereby saving money for her campaign coffers) for hers and her cronies personal political gain. (with taxpayers footing the bill for her campaign’s photographic promotion!) Case in point:

What her donation come-on should’ve said was ‘Meet and greet the Mayor and support her efforts to support everyone else.’

In the second photo, Tom Potter was photographed at the Norton Crossing groundbreaking event with the added bonus of being photographed behind a Whitehall logo lectern, thereby making him, in the Mayor’s literature, not just very professional looking, but like he’s already an intrinsic part of our government. Using our government’s processes: photos of events, Mayoral State of the City speeches, groundbreakings, to utilize later for the promotion and furtherance of her, and her ‘Team’s political dominance and will is simply, wrong.

D: Note that everyone on this card, front and back, are all who are running, except…me, Gerald Dixon*. Is it just coincidence that all her people, ‘The Team’, are ‘strong leaders’ but the one who isn’t on here is not? That without political beneficence to get into City Hall, you’re never a leader and only a loser? What then of all of them who once sat on this side of ‘leadership’? How did they all obtain this ‘strong leadership’ in order to get in? Did they already have it or was it obtained only by entering Whitehall government? Its like the chicken and the egg, which came first? Councilperson’s Bailey and Kantor were appointed (given) their positions so, when they actually had to run for their positions, they did so as the incumbent. Incumbents always have a stronger chance of getting in as opposed to the underdog. Were they chosen for their leadership skills or was it due to people they knew?

The Host Committee’s list of ‘Honorable’ names was no doubt included to impress, for Bob’s benefit. ‘Wow! He’s really CONNECTED!!’

Per the flier on the left, by the time Mr. Bailey actually ran for the office he already had, he’d amassed quite a load of insider friends to help him actually win election, which he did. Every heading of a person/couple on his host committee was an elected official, thus the ‘honorable’ title. Not hard to get in when everyone in City Hall wants you there. But, the important question to ask is: what does it take to get everyone to like you at City Hall? Does it take swallowing your independence, ‘going along’, never making a wave or an enemy? Getting along for the sake of Whitehall is all fine and good but ultimately, a friend to all is doing something wrong.

The photo below is a favorite of mine, it was on Mr. Bailey’s literature when he ran in 2009 for the Ward 1 seat he already occupied. This is a staged photo for the camera, along with then Honorable Council President Brent Howard and then Honorable Auditor Kim Maggard pretending to be working on important documents on the front lawn of City Hall (!) This was supposed to show how Mr. Bailey is connected with insiders at City Hall working on ‘important stuff’. Its nothing but political theater meant to manipulate voters. Even Bob shows you he knows how dumb it is by the grin on his face. Kim Maggard, part of the self-serving manipulation then, part of it now, ten years on.

It is crystal clear, it’s not what you know and what you can do, its who you know and how much personal honor and pride you’re willing to dispose of to get you into City Hall.

E:  Everyone running unopposed has run no campaign at all. Kim Maggard, Michael Bivens**, Steve Quincel and Tom Potter, NO signage, NO literature, no effort at showing the citizens they want the office or respecting them enough to put in a minimal effort. Mr. Potter will be the ringmaster of the people’s council and the acting Mayor when she’s unable to perform its duties and yet, he has offered nothing up to show us he’s worthy of that position.
So, its merely the ‘Team Leader’ putting out information for them. That will suffice. Its not very admirable. But, Mr. Potter and Mr. Quincel put in enough effort last year during the ‘Term Limits’ question on the ballot when Mr. Potter’s committee raised nearly $40,000 to campaign for 3rd terms and our City Treasurer ignored the conflict of interest for himself and all his cronies at City Hall by serving as the committee’s treasurer. Their work is done, why bother working for that seat in the citizen’s government now. They know they’ve got it, why go through the motions of caring when its simply not needed (or politically expedient)?

F: Both in last year’s election to extend term limits to three and now getting all her ‘Team’ to continue on, the message has been that in order for ‘progress’ to continue, it can only be done by electing these people back into City Hall, where some of them have already been there for up to 16 years. It was and still is an outlandish claim that, because they’re in City Hall, that no one else cares about progress and no one can match their ‘strong leadership’ in keeping Whitehall ‘moving forward’. The fact is that Madame Mayor will not truck anyone saying no to her or offering up an alternate idea or criticizing her ‘vision’, plain and simply. Otherwise, why would she spend so much time, effort and other people’s money to convince you, in a backhanded fashion, that I shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a citizen’s legislative body? If your ideas cannot stand up to critical thinking, criticism and lively debate, then how strong and worthy are they in the first place? Period.

I guess I’m against extending safety and park and development progress in Whitehall because I’m not ‘one of them…’

Why am I such a boogeyman for her? Or, is it merely vengeance for my having pointed out to the public that the Emperor has no clothes? That this is her only power over me: to see to it that I don’t get a rightful and fairly won, citizen chosen, place at the table. It is this, I know, in my heart of hearts, that compels her to defeat me. This isn’t a fair fight between Bob and Karen and Wes and I, it is her manipulating and strong-arming others fights for the ultimate gain for herself. If my opponents didn’t enjoy her help so much (or the vengeance aspect it brings) perhaps they would ask her, publicly, to stop. But…they don’t. After all, their lackluster, nearly non-present fight in this year’s race is benefited by the Mayor’s looming and powerful presence. It simply wouldn’t benefit them to interfere and demand fairness.
She and everyone there knows of my capacities for intelligent discourse, creativity and fruitful debate. But, I call her out publicly for her wrongs, I won’t toady to her demands, I have an independent mind and won’t keep my mouth shut or make my spine supple for anyone’s power, mine or hers.

I will be there for one entity and one only…the citizens,

without groveling supplication to her demand for allegiance. If her plans have merit, if they are clean of ethical breaches, I will absolutely, 100% be in agreement but, if, through thorough discussion they are found to be lacking in those things or are ultimately bad for the citizens, I would say no to them. Reminding everyone now that my single ‘no’ vote would have zero impact on her and their designs. Zero.

But…what power I would have would be to force discussion where she wants none, where the ultimate respect and nod to citizen’s rights will be heard. That is the power she wants to keep from me and you, the citizens. An independent voice free to question her authority, for the ultimate sake and benefit of the people themselves from someone like me, with no monetary/donational ties to ‘The Team’.

So, the decision is yours; choices manipulated for you for someone else’s gain with strings attached directly to the ‘Team Captain’ who pulls those strings or, as its supposed to be, per the U.S. Constitution, an independent servant of the people, beholdin’ to no one but the people themselves. Your call Whitehall.

They simply leaned on each other for petition help rather than go out there, door to door and meet citizens and ask them for help. This is a club citizens. You have to act like them, be like them and if you’re not, your sold to the public by the leader as ‘non-experienced’, regressive not progressive, unworthy and ‘trouble’. But, what does it mean to not be like them? Independent? Not a game-player? Demanding of ethics and accountability?

* Is it not leadership to invite your Councilman over to your house to craft better ‘truck routes’ legislation, as I did, with Chris Rodriguez who came to my house for a discussion and left me to finish drafting it, alone. That which his record shows him not having done in his nearly 20 years on Council. I was more of a leader on massive trucks infiltrating residential neighborhoods than he! And yet, this is what Mayor Maggard’s manipulation wanted you to believe (and you did) back in 2017 when I was his opponent for Ward 1 Council:

It says: ‘Paid for by Citizens for Chris Rodriguez’ whereas the ONLY people who were ‘for’ Chris Rodriguez were all City officials: Auditor Dan Miller, Chris Rodriguez himself and Mayor Maggard. Kim was his largest contributor with $250 in a check and $115 in in-kind contributions! It should’ve been named ‘Elected officials for Chris Rodriguez’!

She tells you what you want to hear so you’ll do what she wants. Its that nakedly simple. That was her polished ‘Xerox’ telling of Chris Rodriguez, whereas this was his true record, as uncovered by me sifting through boxes of records in Council office for 20 hours in the Spring of 2017:

WHITEHALL WARD 1 COUNCILMAN CHRIS RODRIGUEZ: A REVEALING INDICTMENT OF HIS OFFICIAL RECORD

Notice the date inconsistency from Chris Rodriguez’ statement

Oddly, this is nowhere to be found on any of Chris Rodriguez’ statements on record for 2017.

** I like Michael Bivens very much. I think he is an outstanding gentleman who I like and admire. He is caught up in this machine but he is better than them. I don’t like that he allows his name to be used in this manipulation for ‘The Team’ but I give him a lot more break than the others simply for the quality of his character. I’m certain though that this public appreciation of mine for him doesn’t do him any favors among his ‘team mates’. But, as Councilman Bailey once said to me after I voiced disappointment in not getting to participate in a phone survey for the City of Whitehall: ‘Too bad”.