TO VOTE OR NOT TO VOTE - HEARTWELL, TORMALA, RINCK, MILLER

The mayoral race in Grand Rapids is said to be “heating up” per local newspapers and television stations with the recent endorsement of certain unions in the city on behalf of candidate Tormala.  Candidates Rinck, Miller and current Mayor Heartwell did not receive similar endorsements, but none appeared concerned over the lack of approval to their active campaigns.  They all continue to pitch us the typical political "blah, blah, blah, blah, blah" on why we should choose them and why the city will be better off if they get the top job.

We at The Local Area Watch have been limited in our reporting on the race to date as frankly, we haven’t found it very interesting, exciting or motivating so far. Our guess is the “heating up” that the press is detecting is probably a by-product of the Global Warming concerts held around the world recently by sweetie to the stars himself, ex-politician, Al Gore. 

We were wondering, how do you, our regular readers feel about things.  Have you been following the campaigns?  Have you selected a favorite yet?  Have you been impressed enough to actually get out the vote?  Will you conveniently be out of town and not voting at all?  Do you even care?

August 7th is fast approaching.  That’s the first big date for the primary election to narrow down the main contenders from four to two.  From there, the final vote will be in November to elect a new mayor for River City.

Who might you be considering for the primary run-off and then the final election?

George Heartwell
Rick Tormala
Jim Rinck
Jackie Miller
I won’t be voting at all

We don't believe we are alone in our boredom on this issue (important as it is).

Regards,

Bridget Dupont-Tingley
Editor
The Local Area Watch

Bill Tingley
Executive Director
The Local Area Watch

Comments

[Paul]

Anybody but Heart(less)Well.

It's time for a change.

[Josh Wheaton]

Well, Heartwell has not lived up to what Grand Rapids had hoped for when electing him. Although his being elected was hardly a mandate. Sure... he took 86% of the vote. But this was after spending a reported $50,000+ on the election against two completely unknown opponents, one of which was a homeless man. Heartwell has boasted his HUGE success in the 2003 election. But I ask you this. Against two unknown candidates, neither of which waged a true campaign against him, again... one of the homeless; Why did Heartwell receive ONLY 86% of the vote. I would view his past campaign as a failure. Much like his past four years in office. Sure, he may be a nice guy... but he sucks as a mayor. I mean really... Proposal 2, River Grand, Confidentiality, Indian Trails, etc. I can't hink of any one thing that he has done as mayor that I would consider "a good thing".

Tormala can't even pay his own bills without holding a fundraiser to pay his rent. After two foreclosures and two years of gainful unemployement... Tormala would be screwed if it weren't for his lifetime health benefits provided by Grand Rapids Taxpayers. He has admitted that he has been offered jobs, but he declined them because, "People wanted to hire him ONLY because he is a Commissioner". Come On. He will drive his family in to financial ruin, lose two houses and allow others to pay his bills for him... all because he didn't want to take a job because he felt the job was only being offered because his is a sitting Commissioner. He didn't have two pennies to rub together - yet the Police and Fire unions both sign-up as soon as he decides to run for mayor. Plus they pony up the maximum contributions to his campaign. Within days, Tormala introduced and the Commission passed $500,000 in overtime approval for the Police and Fire. So Tormala says he can't be bought by taking a real job... but he'll sell his soul to the unions. I see it like this... Tormala is desperate. If he loses this election, he will really, really be unemployed. He basically gave up his Commission seat to go for the glory as mayor. If he loses, he won't even have the part-time Commissioner salary to fall back on. Hopefully the Police and Fire Unions continue to pay his bills after he loses the election. Anyone who would vote for Tormala in this race, has no respect or care for the future of Grand Rapids. If he can't manage his own personal finances... how can we count on someone like him to manage the finances of Grand Rapids?

Jackie Miller is an unknown who is not mounting a serious campaign. According to news reports, she is a Meijer cashier whose message is, "Common Sense". This is all I know about Miller, this is all that anyone knows about Miller.

This brings me to Jim Rinck. I never knew very much about Rinck other than a few GR Press articles about him and the School Board and more recently about his running for mayor. Based on my review of Press articles, I would have guessed that he was a blow-hard. This was until he knocked on my door. He was campaigning in my neighborhood in the 2nd ward last week. I have to say that I was blown away by how smart this guy is. We spoke for nearly 20 minutes about everything to do with Grand Rapids. He is wicked smart with a near encyclopedic knowledge about the history of Grand Rapids. He was very impressive. His plans as mayor are equally as impressive. The Press calls him 'combative' - having met the man, I would say that he is passionate. After he left, I went to his website, jimrinck.com. Not the prettiest website out there, but the information is very good. He has some solid plans for the future of Grand Rapids and having met him, I'd say that he has the guts and the ambition to accomplish them. The more I think about it, the more I respect Rinck. 14 years on the school board is nothing to scoff at. That must take a lot of patience and a ton of loyalty. These guys only get paid something like $50 a month for all the crap that they have to deal with. This is why most school board members usually only serve a term or two and then leave. It takes guts.

I would like to see L.A.W. interview the candidates individually and post the interviews online. I don't believe that, "I won't be voting at all"! should be an option. We can't force our dream candidates to run for office... we must choose from those who agree to run. It is our duty as citizens to vote for the best candidate from the pool of candidates that we are given... but we MUST vote!

[Allen]

All the big players in town are going to support and donate to Heartwell to keep the corporate welfare train rolling along. The bleeding hearts will support and vote for him too as socialized everything is their goal and Heartwell is their man.

Tormala will probably get votes from all the union people and groups.

Rinck will get the leftovers from the first two.

Miller will get the vote of some fellow Meijer shoppers.

If you follow the money and power trail, we'll have Heart(less)well in office for a few more years. If people care about a real change, Rinck and Tormala will win the primary and one of the two will end up mayor.

It all boils down to, does anyone really care? If so, the voters will show up. If they don't, status quo will prevail. I understand where you are coming from, not many seem to be paying much attention at this point. They will care once a decision is made and they weren't involved.

[Alma]

I'm with Paul. I'm voting more for a change than what I really know about each of these people.

If I had to pick today I guess I would vote for Tormala since I've seen him on t.v., at meetings, etc. He has been the higher profile of the candidates (less Heartwell).

I'm a little disappointed all the options are Democrats. Not a conservative in the bunch. That's too bad.

[Bridget - The Editor L.A.W.]

Hi Paul,

Your opinion is probably the most dominate one. A time for a change. If you feel strongly on this issue, definately get out the vote if you want a changing of the guard at city hall.

Thanks for your reply.

Regards,

[Bridget - The Editor L.A.W.]

Hi Josh,

We appreciate your detailed and thoughtful response to the candidates at large.

As for Heartwell, I believe his record is very public and anyone who has been remotely paying attention the last four years will be able to weigh in on whether he has done a good job or not. The items you mentioned;

The failed River Grand project
Selling off Indian Trails
Signing confidentiality agreements
Challenging the results of Prop 2 and stating he was willing to loose his job over the issue (he backed off on that one!)

and others like...

Taking a brand new car during a budget crunch time
Engaging in behind the doors wheeling and dealing
Allowing city attorneys to shred legal documents so, the public won't see
Being borderline rude and hostile to opposing board members like Jendrasiak or Tormala

And other actions too numerous to note here, are reasons aplenty for some to vote against another term for Mayor Heartwell. Then again, many in this community such as social groups, major business/law firms and the "insiders" will be heavily on his side. He is their best friend at city hall after all. Each person will have to decide if they approve of his social positions and public record or not. We have not been shy at L.A.W. in calling him out and most know our feelings on his last four years of service to the city and it's citizens.

Tormala also has a very public record as commissioner and also on some campaigns for other candidates in the past. He has been a very vocal opponent on many issues when all other board members were voting in favor of something in opposition to what the public may have wanted. Tormala has stood up numerous times to challenge the status quo and that's no small feat in this town. You mainly seem to object to his personal life/financial history and that appears to be where you find him most lacking. You equate his personal finances with his character and ability as a person on the whole. I think you might want to separate out his public record from that of his personal life. Some may not be able to do this. Since the vast majority of Americans are in no position to point fingers of who is better at balancing their home budgets, finances and savings (because they themselves are having difficulty) you might want to cut him a little slack in this area. Would it be better if he was financially sound - yes. But, don't dismiss his other strong characteristics due to one issue. Tormala was on public t.v. not too many weeks back talking openly about his past financial difficulties and he seemed willing to address the issue directly. He did not hide from it. He spoke about what happened, who helped him and that he was back on track. I don't think we should keep a decent man down and define him over a financial failure if he is on the mend. It is prudent of you and all of us to question him in this area and receive sound feedback that he has overcome his financial issues so, that we can have confidence in his ability to handle budgets at the city level. The mayor is not the only one in control of G.R. budgets. Also involved in budget planning, control and approval is the city commissioniers, the financial director, budget control office, city attorneys,etc. so, you can have assurance that there is more than one person handling the final figures.

There is nothing wrong, actually it's quite the norm, for groups to back certain candidates that they feel is in their best interests. In this case, the police and firefighters union. They are backing Tormala as they feel he is understanding to a higher extent of the need to improve and increase city wide fire and police assistance and patrols. The donations came in AFTER they publicly began supporting him. You might have been more suspicous if Tormala never backed them, then they gave him money silently and then he changed his tune and they supported one another. Had the reverse happened, it might have looked like a buying of the vote. What happened here is standard operating procedure in elections: back a candidate, donate to the cause, openly promote their hopes for victory. Tormala has been a big promoter historically at keeping city fire and police well staffed and ready for service - that is no new stand. Getting the city to pony up the necessary funds has been in the works on and off for quiet awhile to those of us who tune into the city commission meetings weekly. Money coming through now is not due to the endoresement of his campaign. If you doubt this, check out Heartwell's website that lists nearly all the city commissioners who endores Heartwell for mayor again. They would be the last to vote in favor of more money just because it benefited Tormala. They did the increase to benefit the poice and firefighters along with the citizens of this city.

Last, hopefully Mr. Tormala will stand firm on making sure no one constituent group gains favors over another, such as unions. He says his goal is to be fair and honorable to all and we need to take him at his word at this point. Feel free to question him and get the answers you want for your piece of mind. It's certainly your right as an interested and possible future voter if you are considering him still as a candidate.

As for Mr. Rinck, I personally don't know if I would brag about being on the school board of GRPS for 14 years considering the condition of the system at this time. There have been some improvements to buildings, some changeover in personnel, some restructuring of classes and graduation requirements to try and improve the system and so on, but the reality is kids are still trying to leave in droves, violence and disruptions are at an all time high, teachers and administrators have lost control of the classroom and the GRPS has become a serious danger zone. Does it take courage to stay so long in a continuing system that goes downhill with each year or is it something else? Is is possible some leave the board every term because those who are on the board long term control everything - even if it means failure? It's hard to tell from a distance. I wonder if a change to EVERYONE and a complete overhaul of the system so it runs more like a modern business isn't the answer, versus a few changes here and there and above all, some people who never seem to leave.

I can't speak much on Mr. Rinck as I don't know much about him other than what the press and his web site says. I have heard rumors about his attitude and his confrontational style. I have not met him and don't have the benefit of personal time as you did. It's a good thing when a candidate makes such a favorable impression as he did when you met him that one time. He clearly gained your favor with his knowledge, his ideas and his passion for the job. My guess is that he will sway many voters for the same reason once they get to know the real candidate. I will admit I need to gain even more knowledge about this candidate to form a true and real opinion, just like many others out there I'm sure. Your positive experience with him and feedback will be something to consider.

Ms. Miller is the great underdog of the campaign, but never rule out the person who runs with complete heart and soul for his/her convictions even if the odds are against them. Out of the group, she is the only one without constant political intentions so, she is the most pure in her thoughts and ideas. Give her credit for trying something most of us just talk about over a dinner table and never take further.

Above all Josh, you are right that NOT voting is a poor option. Bill and I have always supported at The Local Area Watch that being an invovled and educated voter is one of our most important responsibilites as citizens. On the other hand, being an uninformed and uneducated voter and just walking into a voting booth and voting blindly is in very bad form. The goal is to vote AND vote with information at hand.

Keep an eye out over the next few weeks. We will try to post a few pieces about the mayoral race for those who are interested and try to drum up interest in those where it has been lacking.

We may try to get some feedback from the candidates themselves via some short surveys or interviews if they are willing, even though time is precious at this point in the race.

Thanks for your excellent input!

Regards,

[Bridget - The Editor L.A.W.]

Hi Allen & Alma,

Don't give up...there is information to be had and a choice to be made.

Like most elections, there is never going to be a perfect candidate for all of us. The goal is to weed through the good, the bad, the acceptale and the ugly. From there, make a choice as one typically is better than the rest.

The status quo, especially in our city where things have not been going so good, is the best time for considering a change. Look at the candidates, check out platforms via their websties, or the press/t.v. news reporting and then make a decision.

Get out and vote in the primary and the final election in November. When so few people vote (they say around 15% each cycle), each pull, one by one, makes a serious difference to the final numbers.

Appreciate your feedback.

Regards,

[Big 10 Mary]

I'm not thrilled with any of the choices. They all have baggage.

Heartwell has to go. Nuff' said. History speaks for itself.

The cashier girl has a nice idea, but isn't qualified.

Rinck, has possibilities, but he seems to be engaging in some negative rock throwing - never good.

I guess I'd pick Tormala at this time, although he's not a perfect choice either.

[Dan]

My take on this election is that it is dependant on the differant turnout from the 3 wards. In the first ward, this ward is catholic and very pro-life (which in my opinion has nothing to do with city races) this ward should go toward tormala, in the second ward this is where tormala has lived and ran from, but Bliss is a Heartwell backer here, edge tormala, third ward is the key here, there is no third ward race, most of the african american community backs Heartwell, but how many show up to vote in the primary. If the first and second ward gets 10 to 12 percent turnout, and the third ward gets below 7.5 or so Heartwell will be toast. By the way i do like tormala best, and lagrand in the second ward.

[Bridget - The Editor L.A.W.]

Hello Dan,

Your take on things sounds dead on.

We agree with you that voter turnout will be a big deal for this election - especially in the primary. As you noted, Tormala will need to get out the vote in 1st and 2nd wards to beat out a heavy Heartwell majority in the 3rd ward. From what we hear, the candidates are focusing heavily on those regions now - walking the streets, posting yard signs, handing out flyers/brochures, etc.

Of course, enough people from the rest of the city and region will make a difference too - those shouldn't be forgotten and could easily put one on top of the other if they are not looking.

Union voters will be big for Tormala. Big business, wealthy city pan handlers and social groups will strike it big for Heartwell.

Rinck shouldn't be counted out either as he has a very strong and solid group of backers who want someone new holding the seat of mayor who is not a city hall insider for once. I've heard a number of people now say as people meet him, they seem to get a favorable impression of him and often choose to change their vote. For some, he has possiblities too.

Thanks for your feedback. It's great to get your thoughts on the race.

Regards,

[Bridget - The Editor L.A.W.]

Hello Big Ten Mary,

Thanks for sharing with us your thoughts on the mayoral campaign and that you would pick Mr. Tormala for mayor. Glad to see you are involved in this important race!

Regards,

[Leonard Wood Grotenrath Jr.]

Anent Josh Wheaton's post, one is impelled toward the conclusion that his advocacy in favor of Mr. Rinck is less the consequence of chance encouter and sudden epiphany than it is of poorly concealed collaboration with the Rinck campaign to smear and villify Rick Tormala.

The bilious Mr. Wheaton is so obviously a Rinck campaign proxy as to be risible. Compare and contrast his posts at other sites. It is plain to all who read his emetic commentaries that he has been tasked by the Rinck campaign to engage in the kind of personal villification of Tormala that the quixotic Mr. Rinck, bereft of any substantive and germane criticisms of the Tormala record,sees as his only hope to impede Rick's surging support. Of course Mr. Rinck understands that for him personally to engage in such scurrilous attacks would be unseemly, so he engages Mr. Wheaton whom he has by Josh's own breathless testimony so seduced by his charm and sciolistic manner to engage in the pollitics of personal destruction (to coin a phrase)on his behalf. Thus are the canons of punctilliousness and the Rinck campaign's dire political straits given their due. Perhaps, learned lawyer that he is, Mr. Rinck is not unfamiliar with the common law doctrine of respondeat superior. Perhaps.

Mr. Wheaton is entitled to his girlish infatuation with Mr. Rinck and free to express his political allegiances. That he has chosen to do so by distorting and then mocking a rival candidate's personal and familial misfortunes is more than cause enough to question not only the pedigree of the cur who has proven himself so biddable in this foul enterprise but the integrity of his handler who has allowed (encouraged?) his pet to despoil the reputation of a good and effective public servant.

J.W. in his encomium on behalf of Mr. Rinck giddly enthuses about Mr. Rinck's "near encyclopedic knowledge" of the history of Grand Rapids. Alas, dear Josh, therein lies the differnce between your candidate and Rick Tormala. While Mr. Rinck has been studying history, Mr. Tormala has been making it. By his vigorous, substantive and principled contributions to the betterment of Grand Rapids and its quality of life, he has given ample demonstration of his competency and commitment.

I invite the readers of the L.A.W. to give serious consideration to Rick Tormala's candidacy for mayor, to look at his record, and to judge him on the substance of his public accomplishments and not be swayed by certain critics whose partisan malice substitutes for serious debate and honorable civic engagement.

Finally, to the Tingleys: I was dismayed by your earlier expression of ennui concerning the mayoral race. Dismayed and dumbfounded that the hosts of this excellent blog which exemplifies serious civic engagement would blandly suggest that they were less than interested in the outcome of the election. But, I see that I was hasty to despair, and subsequent entries demonstrate that my misgivings were unfounded. Gaudete!

Quod scripsi,scripsi

Leonard Wood Grotenrath Jr.

[Bridget - The Editor L.A.W.]

Hello Mr. Grotenrath,

As always, your words of wisdom and thoughts at the L.A.W. site are little nuggets of joy in an otherwise dull day :-)

Your analysis of Josh could be on target and your well developed opinion is certainly one readers will consider and evaluate on their own. He may indeed be a water carrier for the Rinck campaign, but since we have no valid evidence of such outside of his brief write-up here, we will leave it up to readers such as yourself to decide if he is truly a common supporter or an insider to the campaign.

For the sake of fairness, I have challenged some of his assumptions and requested he and others give further consideration to all the candidates - including Heartwell, Tormala, Rinck & Miller.

We are glad our simple, yet provocative little piece got some of the readers fired up. We were concerned, other citizens we know are concerned, over voter apathy in this city. 15% turnout in past elections is nothing to be proud of. Firing up citizens is easier said then done, even at a time like this when a change is warranted and necessary in River City. We stressed the election was important - we just wanted to know how many people really cared and would the final voter numbers show a lack of interest or an impressive wave of change? Time will tell.

Our opinion of local government in G.R. has been dismal to date. A change in mayor and hopefully in time, city commissioners is much needed. There has been too many private deals cut and on-going secrecy in this current administration for us to feel comfortable. We are interested in a change, but skeptical that a new mayor will be strong enough, wise enough and confident enough to resist the pull of internal pressures and staff members, big money, powerful interest groups and eventual self interests to do the people's work. So, yes we are skeptical, but we remain hopeful a correction is possible.

I'm sure Comm. Tormala will be energized by your words regarding his credentials, his record and his quality campaign currently being run around town. I'm sure you are not alone in your praise and support of him.

Thanks again for your reply.

Regards,

[The Executive Director]

Hello, Leonard.

Thanks for the compliment on our work here. I'm glad we didn't disappoint you in the end with Bridget's expression of our boredom with the mayoral race. It's not that we don't think the race isn't important - IT IS - which is why it is frustrating that it is so low-key for the average Joe to follow.

As to Mr. Wheaton, there is no reason to question his motives. If he says his enthusiasm for Rinck is a result of the candidate making the rounds in his neighborhood, then that is what happened. While I understand the disdain other mayoral candidates have for what they consider Rinck's low tactics and sniping, I'm sure that his campaign has better things to do than plant ringers in the comments section of our website.

As for your Executive Director's confidence in Rinck's commitment to oppose the players' hold on the city government, I'll have something to say about that later (along comments about the other candidates).

Regards, Bill

P.S. I'm stealing your "Quod scripsi, scripsi", Leonard. Even though it's been nearly thirty years since my last Latin class (with the inestimable Mrs. Rens at Creston High School), I managed to figure out what it means and will find it a most handy a phrase to use.

[Xopher]

When considering George Heartwell's misdeeds, remember Garfield Park. George knew about the potential of getting Kroc Center in September, 2004. In June, 2005, Garfield Park was chosen as a potential site in a confidential report. The Garfield Park neighborhood association was informed in secret (to get them to buy in) the day before the sale of Garfield Park was revealed to the neighborhood and the citizens of Grand Rapids.

At this point, we were told it was "too late." The gym and pool were represented as decrepit (the gym is not; if the pool is, it is only because the city has demolished it through neglect). The Garfield's wishes (legally expressed in the deed) weren't worth a cent to George & Co.

And, then, in February, 2006, when it really was almost "too late" the City staff discovered that Garfield Park was protected by a grant administered by the National Park Service which would have required permission from the NPS and also remediation by acquiring recreationally equivalent land in the area at equal or greater market value - an impossibility.

Through the heroic actions of a local realtor the land deal currently in place (to replace a decrepit city owned cement bagging facility along Plaster Creek) was created. The City staff backed it up, but didn't initiate it. With appropriate leadership from Heartwell, they wouldn't have gone after Garfield Park, but would have done (over more than a year) what it took a single citizen a month to set up.

I admire and support Rick Tormala because he was the only one of the commissioners to stand against this foolishness. He was the only one who took an interest in the deeds and the effects of the proposed Kroc Center facility on the neighborhood (traffic, light, noise).

[Xopher]

The citizens of GR were informed about the Garfield Park "deal" in November, 2005.

[Xopher]

As far as candidate information, the candidate websites are ok (of course they are telling you what they want you to know, but you can learn things). Both Jim Rinck and Rick Tormala will email you back if you email them. I've not had the same luck with George Heartwell, and I haven't tried with anyone else.

So, if you have a question or questions for the candidates, why not ask them directly?

There will also be several forums with the opportunity for public questions. Cable channel 25 will have one tomorrow night (the info is on Tormala's website, and I'm sure it is on Rinck's).

I'm not sure it's appropriate to post the actual websites here, so I haven't.

[Bridget Dupont-Tingley, Editor - L.A.W.]

Hello Xopher,

We appreciate the reminder to our readers about the Garfield Park/Kroc Center project. I'm sure they'll add this item to the already long list of
questionnable city practices under the current mayoral administration.

The candiates websites are easy to find by simply typing in their names in your standard search engines - all come up less Ms. Miller. We are unsure if she has a site now or not? And you are correct, all seem to respond to emails less, Mayor Heartwell.

Thanks for the reminder about the Q & A due tomorrow night on Cable channel 25. Hopefully, people will tune in if they are able.

We appreciate your feedback and additional thoughts.

Regards,

[Grady]

Rinck is an example of the same ole' same ole' political mud throwing. Not appealing.

Miller is non-existent.

You vote for Heartwell only if you want the status quo - I don't. This man and his liberal love fest must go.

I plan to vote for Tormala. I think he will be a change that the city and the residents need. He has had personal problems for sure, but he has also made the city a primary concern and that's a plus point. He may not be perfect, but he has some solid ideas to help G.R. get better. I'm willing to take a chance on him this time.

[Jeff Winston]

Most viewers of L.A.W. may recognize me as the monthly "VIEW FROM THE LEFT" columnist. Although this was identified in my bio th the April 9th L.A.W. article "NEW FEATURE! A VIEW FROM THE LEFT AND FROM THE RIGHT" when the column began, I would like to refresh your memory - I am also Jim Rinck's Campaign Manager for his mayoral campaign.

I was approached by Rick Tormala on Tuesday evening at the GRTV candidate debate about Josh Wheaton. Rick, like a few readers here, assumed that Wheaton is a Rinck campaign operative. He IS NOT! While it is a sad reality of politics that public officials and candidates have their personal lives exposed to the voters in often embarrassing ways, it is not a reality in the Rinck campaign. I personally told Rick soon after he announced that I would not use his finances as an issue in this race. When questioned by Jim Harger of the GR Press, Jim Rinck said that HE would not make Rick's financial problems a campaign issue as noted in the May 15, 2007 GR Press article "Tormala comes out swinging in mayoral race" article, "Neither Heartwell nor Rinck said they would make an issue of Tormala's financial problems". On behalf of the Rinck campaign, I will say this; If questioned about the issue, Rinck will respond. Neither Jim Rinck nor anyone in his campaign will or has brought this issue up other than addressing the issue in this very article.

I have always liked and respected Rick Tormala. He worked on LaGrand's Michigan Senate campaign while I was running Abbasse's state Senate campaign. We would see each other at various campaign or party functions and I thought of Rick a valuable colleague. I personally think that he should have kept his current commission seat rather than risking it all to run for mayor, but that is just me.

Although I respect Rick, I am on Jim Rinck's side in this race because I believe that he has more skills, more education, and mostly he has better plans to change the status quo. Jim Rinck is not running to be the Commissioner-at-Large kind of mayor. Rinck is running to make city government more open, transparent, responsible and accountable to the people. He wants to provide leadership and direction to the city manager, rather than the other way around.

[Xopher]

Just wanted to remind everyone that tonight is the:

Neighborhood Business Mayoral Debate

This event will be televised live on GRTV (Cable Channel 25) from 7:00-8:30 PM with additional air times after the debate. The debate will be moderated by Andy Guy, the managing editor of Rapid Growth, and will be held at the Wealthy Street Theatre (1130 Wealthy St SE).

Thursday, July 26, 2007
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

[Bridget Dupont-Tingley, Editor - L.A.W.]

Hello Xopher,

Thanks for the reminder. We'll be updating our readers as well!

Regards,