Aug 04 2008
The Day Before the Election
I slept pretty well last night. I guess my personal promise to introduce myself to each resident of the ward has had an added benefit or two. I have lost 5 pounds and I am sleeping better despite the nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I could have done much better. I have learned a great deal about how to manage a campaign, salesmanship and myself. Next time I will be sharper and harder to beat.
The real benefit from “Walking the Ward” is that I have met so many of you personally and discovered parts of the ward I never knew existed. Local candidates have an advantage over candidates in state and national elections. Local candidates can discover what the “real” issues are in the ward and get to know their constituents in a way that other candidates can only “pretend” to do. I have “felt” the problems good and bad.
Having covered more ground than any candidate in Ward 2, I can assure you the tangible problems in the ward go way beyond building heights, compost container discussions and other more mundane issues. They have touched me in a profound way that I never could have imagined or dreamed. The personal revelations came from reading “Shut-Off” notices posted on doors and from abandoned houses and homes with windows missing. They slammed into me from knocking on doors hanging from a hinge and weathered wood that it is too late to paint. Ward 2 is probably one of the most affluent wards in the City but some of our residents are feeling the pain of lost jobs and even…..home foreclosures. We can do better but first we must open our eyes.
