Comment From a Reader And My Response

This comment came into my blog, and I thought it was interesting so I moved it up to a post.  My comments follow.

"Mr. Pundt, your intentions as a self-accredited political analyst/consultant- to- the- voters are baffling. The basics of election campaigning is to promote the positive features of one candidate over another to garner support at the ballot box. Your tactic of supplying your readers with a continual list of actions by every candidate that display how they all fail to pass your litmus test of leadership would seem to have only one end result, that being to convince voters to not vote for anyone.

Since this is an opinion blog,I would offer that in the case of the primary in Cape Vincent between Oswald and Mason, your tactic will assuredly lead to the election of the native, albeit ill-suited, Mr. Mason, since leadership qualities are not the driving force behind his support, rather the fact that he is the favorite of the "return power to the locals" faction ,who have a history of supporting any candidate regardless of leadership qualities ,case in point- Harvey White for supervisor. In a previous post you offered Mr. Mason the advice to consider all the residents of the town, local and seasonal alike. You can be assured that will not happen.

In a two person primary with much at stake, it is difficult to see the advantage of picturing the candidate you claim to prefer, as lacking in leadership. You make a most arrogant assumption that the voting public is unaware of the issues you present, and votes with their eyes closed. It would seem to this observer that a re-election of Mr. Mason would be catastrophic to the town of Cape Vincent. That makes Mrs. Oswald the preferred option for anyone interested in the future of the town."

My comments.

First of all you talk about my litmus test.  Stop with the high road political nonsense.  Every voter who walks into a voting booth has a litmus test on leadership or something else, otherwise it seems rather pointless to vote one way or the other.  Otherwise why not just flip a coin.

You said… "The basics of election campaigning is to promote the positive features of one candidate over another to garner support at the ballot box."

Where you go off the rails in your comment here is assuming I am campaigning for one candidate or another.  You Republicans can do plenty of that.  However,  I am not a cheerleading for any candidate.  I am looking at the realities and the record.   If there is political baggage in the record…well that isn’t my problem.

Ms. Oswald was present as a board member on at least one critical and important zoning issue where some very questionable behaviors were exhibited, bordering on legally questionable, and as I indicated she did NOTHING about it.  So is you choice in your cheerleading to just ignore that????  Maybe that was why we were in the zoning mess that was created last summer.

You also make a very broad and erroneous assumption that because I have pointed out some faults in Ms. Oswald’s leadership, that would automatically lead to Mason winning.  Did you miss the part where I have already indicated I would support Oswald?

In all the campaign cheerleading in past elections we were told we would have a new wonderful zoning law.  Of course as it turned out, that campaign cheerleading and hoopla ended with a new rushed zoning law that the town officials couldn’t even understand or apply correctly and swept them and the supervisor into an embarrassing mess!

But here is a real uncomfortable  question for you before you get to hysterical about Mason being elected as catastrophic for the town. 

If we are talking about campaigning and supporting candidates and showcasing their positives, then why when Mr. Hirschey had the unique opportunity to appoint Oswald to the board, which would have given her experience and a real political advantage later, why was he and at least one other Republican board member considering appointing Paul Aubertine to the board over Oswald.  And then leave that seat empty until the election.  Who exactly was he trying to help and  how exactly does this add up as support by possibly appointing a pro wind person…and that would have been when the BP wind issue was still boiling hot and it would have made a big difference???

Or how about when Hirschey said he would not re-run for supervisor?   Suddenly both Republican’s Schneider and Bragdon indicated they would run for the job.  Now in the past I have been accused by the Republicans of actions that might split a vote and could hurt the town.  Apparently that didn’t matter to Bragdon and Schneider when their personal interests where at stake, and Hirschey even later said he changed his mind and would run because he feared a split vote. 

Let’s see, why weren’t you complaining then about how a pro wind person might get elected and that could be “catastrophic” for the town when those guys were doing that nonsense?

Typical of you Republicans, you are good at talking the talk but when push comes to shove you the record doesn’t show you walking the walk.

And oh yes…if this primary is so critical as you claim, then where are the Oswald signs.  I’ve seen a bunch of Mason signs around ALL the town.  Or are Oswald’s signs just in the village?  There is a lot of town beyond the village and the Tibbetts Pt. Rd.

So knock yourself out cheerleading!!! 

Maybe you should spend less time debating me and help Ms. Oswald put up some signs in the REST of the town if this primary is so critical.