I wanted to take a moment to address my concerns regarding a candidate for Ward 2 in the Primary coming up on May 6th.
Micole Spicer is one of three candidates running to represent the citizens of Ward 2 and after lengthy consideration, I’ve come to the conclusion that Ms. Spicer is simply the wrong person to represent the citizens in a council seat. Making such an assertion then, I have a duty to explain then exactly how it is I came to that position and make my case as such.

Firstly, anyone that chooses to serve the citizens as their representative on Council, in my estimate, should be many things beyond the traditional litany of traits we have long expected of candidates (good with people, a positive booster, uncontroversial, etc.), among them, they should be: smart, intelligent, caring, fair-minded, civic-minded, courageous, determined, considerate, honest, forthright, secure, just, conscientious, analytical, critical, a champion of the people, thorough, fearless and…independent. (Not so independent-minded though that you can’t find commonality with others or dwell solely in stubbornness* but, an independence of spirit and mind for the seat, for the citizens who elected you and whom you represent and not for any entity or leader or ‘team’ politics).

This has been my own personal standard for some time now, borne from how I was raised and witnessing countless elected leaders, nationally, and some local, who have forged this viewpoint within me from the example they set for me in how not to be. It is a standard which I’ve been preaching here and holding government officials accountable for since I first became aware of issues in Whitehall government in 2009. I have spoken out against wrongs involving numerous (but not all) officials for years. It speaks truth to power and rightly holds elected official’s feet to the fire when appropriate to do so, using all the above-mentioned traits.

So then, this preamble leads us back to candidate for Ward 2, Micole Spicer.
Ms. Spicer was appointed to and currently serves on the Board of Zoning and Building Appeals, the ‘BZBA’. It is a political appointment made by the mayor at the time she was chosen (and a seeming pipeline for those aspiring to be on council). For some time I’ve witnessed Ms. Spicer coming to council meetings where she sits in the audience but has never been seen, by me (until just two weeks ago), coming forward to offer any critical analysis in thoughts or opinions she may have for council and/or her city’s government. As someone who, since first attending council meetings in 2009, paid deep attention at council meetings (and having an actual point of view about matters), spoke from time to time when I thought it appropriate to do so, as is my right and obligation as a citizen, as seen in this example from 2018.

Clearly, I wasn’t just sitting silently in the audience but actively, civically participating in the processes of my government. I left nothing at the door of my civic engagement to cause people to wonder who I was or where I stood on this or that issue, for good or ill. Therefore when I did run for office in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021, the citizens knew exactly who I was and what I stood for. The same opportunity Ms. Spicer has had in all her meeting attendances which she, alternately, has chosen not to take advantage of. This then is one of the things that concerns me about Ms. Spicer…Here then is the only time I’ve ever heard her speak during poll public in the couple years since she’s been attending:

I ask you then; what of someone that attends council meetings regularly but only speaks once, for all of 7 seconds, prior to a voting primary? Have all these attendances only been as a show of civic interest without the requisite participation? Has everything she’s witnessed during meetings only ever been sugar-coated delights? Certainly, there have been rancorous moments that may have stimulated whatever her point of view may be; police drones, gay pride crosswalks, tax incentives and their impact on our community, police investigations, the Fairway Cliffs project, housing, empty lots, welcoming migrants, water surcharges, elderly being taxed out of their homes, homes being turned into rental properties, etc., but yet, only once have I ever heard her step forward and utter a single word about anything and that one time was simply…praise. Its almost as if she either, a) doesn’t have any opinions on anything, b) is reticent to voice her opinions lest we see exactly who she is or isn’t and is afraid to make herself vulnerable in the public arena lest there be criticism or c) is simply an Administration ‘team player’ with nothing critical to say lest it reflect badly on ‘The Team’.**

While it could be bits and parts of all three, my core issue and concern with Ms. Spicer as a candidate to represent the people of Ward 2 is that she is largely, in my observation and opinion, simply another candidate to add to team ‘Forward Together’, there to merely rubber stamp anything and everything Administration wants so that those in the ‘Forward Together’ team can a) polish and add feathers to their political caps and b) exponentially increase their political power and hold on Whitehall governance, regardless of ‘anything and everything’ making any sense or having any effectiveness in the movement of our community. No independence, in mind or spirit, to pause, consider and counter anything which may deserve critical analysis coming out of Administration or, having a spirit of cooperation with others on council who aren’t part of ‘The Team’ or, taking into account the overwhelming consensus of the citizens themselves, as we saw during the year and a half of the Fairway Cliffs situation.
Having a ‘Team’ then, while great for the ‘team leader’ gives no guarantee that what so many yes-es produce will actually be good for the citizens they’re supposed to be serving. What percentage then of what gets through ‘teams’ will be diamonds and what percentage will only be pea gravel? When its all yes-es with no independent, critically thought-out ‘no’s’, ‘pea gravel’ can be the result, as we have witnessed for ourselves; those boondoggles and failures that get through which the community itself will have to live with (and pay for) for years to come thanks to deference for ‘The Team’ taking priority over critical thinking for the people. That independence of thought which acts as a fail safe between the branches of government to prevent undue, possibly damaging power.
This then is a problem I’ve been railing against consistently since 2009, when I used to call them ‘The Family’.

Another ‘tell’ then, outside of Ms. Spicer’s lack of engagement in the public sphere, are the very few times she has engaged on Facebook, where people’s considerations are distilled into discernible points of view. All I ever saw though on council meeting Facebook commentary from her was constant praise, applause, adulation and cheer-leading for the Administration.

That’s it.

Yet, readers may be asking, ‘what’s wrong with being positive and uplifting’? To that I say, ‘nothing’. The issue here though is not her ‘positivity’** but rather, and in particular because she is running for office to serve the people, a clear indicator of a) where and with whom her priorities lie and b) when she had the opportunity to show us what kind of person she is that would properly serve the people’s interests, she instead just congratulated and gushed about Administration and The City, as an entity, instead of dedicating her time to championing the citizen’s and their issues. In these rare public statements she showed absolutely no indications of critical analysis on myriad issues before the city but instead used her time only to praise Administration. I’m sorry but when one is running with the slogan, ‘Community First’, her words don’t align with that sentiment. Therefore, I reject her feel-good tagline that has no discernible relation to anything I’ve publicly witnessed.

So then, what she’s already showing here is what a great team player she’ll be by promoting the Team Forward brand. The constant huzzahs and back-patting (as we also see among team ‘Forward Together’ at council meetings) signal to the public as to the WONDERFULLNESS of it all, thereby creating bafflers and walls between ‘The Team’ and the citizens right to truth (and representation) and any actual critical analysis which could be utilized for the benefit of the citizens themselves. It is not in service to the citizens, it is solely in service to team ‘Forward Together’, that same team-centric playbook that brought us to where we are today, as we have seen with Fairway Cliffs and rightful investigations into concerns of trouble in our police department. Its time to jettison this kind of ‘governing’ and choose independent representatives who work for you who put aside fealty to any entity and cooperate with each other to actually get things done for the citizens, for the city.

Finally, one last thing that bothers me, that which is used as a voter manipulation: ‘Parties’, i.e. Democrats, Republicans, etc., using their literature in this ‘non-partisan’ town to get you to vote for a particular candidate; not because they’re the best candidate but because of Party affiliation. I believe everyone in ‘Team Forward Together’ is a Democrat excepting Tom Potter. Ms. Spicer is a Democrat and without saying that in signage or literature, the Ohio Democratic Party comes along and, either through mailings (which they’ve done or at the polls) let you know who the Democrat is simply so you’ll vote for that person without ever thinking about the quality of the candidate or if they’re right for the position or what is in the best interest of the city, not the Party…for instance:

It is nothing more than a backdoor manipulation to get you to vote for Party interests over independent community interests. In this non-partisan city, I find it treacherous and unhelpful. Here is why: Whitehall is a small town, the problems that exist here aren’t of a Democrat/Republican nature. They’re paving the roads, keeping the lights on, getting businesses to come here, Little League baseball, etc., etc. Just because she’s a Democrat and so are you doesn’t make her the best candidate. I’M a registered Democrat, have been since 1980, and I don’t feel she’s right for the position. As a result of this viewpoint, I have both Republican and Democrat Whitehallians who support me and I’m proud of that.

When I fight problems existing in our government, they haven’t been partisan, they’ve been a matter of right and wrong, period. Parties only care about themselves, that is why there is a ‘Country Over Party’ sign in my front yard. We need to deal with the real problems in our community, those which aren’t related to Party, but…the Party machine doesn’t like this. When I, a Democrat, sought out Party endorsements in (I believe) 2015 from the Franklin County Democrats and the Stonewall Democrats, they refused endorsement because I’d been ‘mean to Kim Maggard’ and ‘she’s been very good to us’. A clear sign that servility and power for ‘The Party’ is far more important than the principles you fight for. Its hypocritical to say the least. As a result, I never sought their endorsement again. As a 45-year registered Democrat, I urge Whitehall citizens to eschew this kind of Party manipulation. We have got to fight this wretched practice of ‘Team Politics’ here in Whitehall. Just because someone has told you wonderful things they want you to believe and get themselves in office doesn’t mean they have a right then to create a power stranglehold on the independence of the legislative branch, that branch where independence and critical analysis are vital to properly represent and serve the citizens.

So then, I urge you to eschew these ‘team’ politics, whether through Party or groupings that favor them over you and vote for the independent-minded Brian McCann or David Coleman in the Ward 2 Primary on May 6th.

Thank you

*Independent but fair-minded created this level of cooperation:

** Criticism is an important component of growth; outwardly and inwardly, personally and professionally and certainly, governmentally. I understand and appreciate positivity but there’s got to be some level of realism one abides by in this world given the real and troublesome issues that face Whitehall and particularly if one legitimately wants to tackle issues that need to be addressed that (ironically) produce that positive realm. One doesn’t fix problems by just invoking some insistence of positivity but rather, by looking at them with a clear eye and a courageous spirit and addressing them head on. Disney is nice escapism but its not reality nor does it address the pressing concerns that need to be changed.