Candidate Forums during Election Campaigns

Submitted by ANGELnWard14 on Fri, 06/24/2011 - 18:45.

While sorting, saving, reviewing and deleting over 3,000 emails; I found myself reviewing the mindboggling campaign trail of last year. It was intriguing to see countless organizations vying to host "Candidate Forums" and present "Candidate Info" via their mediums. The entire process is quite demanding and requires an administrative assistant or staff that can keep a candidate bouncing around town daily for months on end trying to meet, greet, and communicate with key leadership throughout the region. It was extraordinary to experience this environment.

Personally; as an ordinary citizen; I saw so much time dedicated to this process by these various organizations and it made me wonder; Why can't they all just unite for let's say a week to conduct something along the lines of a "CANDIDATE CONVENTION?" I mean, instead of all these organizations dividing our populace to review trite questions and concerns; why cannot they all congregate in one of our many arenas like perhaps the CSU stadium or the Cavs arena to interrogate and review the candidates...? Why can't they make it an event that is both FREE to the PUBLIC and excusable from their jobs to attend? 

I pray that in the future; the "FORUM" part of the democratic process is consolidated, united, and the playing field is leveled. With technology; candidate questions and answers can be previewed online and via public TV stations that are not "steered" by "funded candidates".

 

The future of Cuyahoga County depends on finding solid, honorable, and dedicated persons to lead our public at large. "VOTING" in general has been tainted nationwide and our citizens have been violated beyond words. These "forums" are usually moderated by people who are "tainted" all the same. It was actually predictable that some of those moderators would be rude, prevent you from answering certain questions, or they'd be divisive in their role during forums. Many citizens would write their personal "questions" on cards that got filtered by those moderators. Moreover, the people who "filtered" those questions were "ALWAYS" trying to save time as the forums always ran over.... which was frustrating for both the citizens and the candidates who humbly desired answering questions from deserving citizens.

Ultimately, our county; the elections people, and the public at large deserve a united front that offers equilateral access to candidates. Perhaps by consolidating, filtering the actual general forum questions, giving candidates the top 50 redundant questions to answer up front, and then opening the arena up to questions by citizens at varied intervals throughout the sessions; perhaps more citizens would get involved. Perhaps those questions could be submitted electronically in a Q & A forum as well.

Our citizens are tired of chasing their tails with programs that are built to deprive them of their direct opportunities to get resolve on their beliefs and understand the views of their candidates.

Ultimately; tons of money could be saved by all the inclusive parties. The forum game could be united to provide transparency to all and lots of candidates could use their time to actually meet and greet citizens in the communities versus in the forums alone. The forum system makes it a steering event full of picking and choosing where to be and who's more important. On many occassions last year; I would walk and distribute flyers and meet citizens face to face at their homes for hours on end instead of attending forums. I believed that those citizens who were not involved in the "FORUM" events deserved attention too. I believe that the "FORUM" Format has depreciated the entire election system in our area.

Prayerfully in our lifetimes; democracy will be given more consideration and the real people who live in our communities will have more direct and interactive access with the people they are considering to choose from in elections when they vote. Future leaders of our community should not be expected to have their loyalties challenged by 'vested' campaign contributors. Yet, I suppose that this is all "Politics as usual" in the world as we know it.

AttachmentSize
Angelina_in_a_GB.jpg75.35 KB
( categories: )

"CUYAHOGA COUNTY CANDIDATE CONVENTION 2014"

Is it possible to change the playing field of Cuyahoga County and request that all "FORUMS" be united and provide the public at large with a "CANDIDATE CONVENTION" that empowers citizens to attend an interactive forum in a "CONVENTION" setting? 

All organizations should submit preliminary questions to candidates to be answered during a particular period of the forum. All redundant questions should be merged and asked up front after candidate introductions. Thereafter; open sessions should be scheduled which empower the citizens to pick and choose attendance for free.

This could save tons of money for both the candidates and the entire election process while inviting more participation from the citizens at large without feeling pulled between unions, political parties, and other divisive organizations. Perhaps the candidates should have to pay for this as part of their candidacy filing.

Just an idea.

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

County Exec Race--Book material

I really don't know why someone has not contacted you about the book rights to your story, Dianna!--the campaign secrets you can reveal :)

Watching you!!!

 

I hope someone does make a book out of their posts on Realneo

There are many great potential "books" buried in the Realneo archives.   

I have read with keen attention Jerleen's recollections of her family upbringing, there's impactful personal accounts from Sudhir, of course Norm's material is unique, and there are many others who have been inspired in what they posted.  

The realneo format provides a little day to day support for writers -  you can see your story and get some feedback - if you do a story a few times a week - you can develop a book.   - There is a means of tagging individual  posts in realneo so that they are in chapters - like a book.   The chapters show up in the left hand column on the page.    Some of the wind articles on realneo were put into this book/chapter format by Susan Miller a few years ago. 

I hope that realneo can and does encourage the creative writing in our audience and users.

P.S. Angel14 - I noticed readers have had considrable interest in this campaign post of yours.

: ) I noticed that earlier too...intriguing.

I was wondering why it caught so much traffic??? Interesting & amazing....

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

Great things about Campaigning...

Walking is healthy for you. ( I lost 30 pounds last year doing this!) 

Going door to door enables communities to meet, greet, and talk about their community at large.

Attending forums empowers you to meet like minded residents who care deeply about their 'hood.

 

 

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

The "ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM" gets avoided

The 'ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM' during a campaign is intriguing... during the 2010 campaign for County Executive the "elephant in the room" boiled down to 'corruption'... 

Watching how moderators, organizers, and forum players attempt to get answers regarding their direct areas of impact and how they offer candidates the opportunity to answer those questions was intriguing... Moreover, watching how the endorsement process is used invariably to "protect the interests" of certain parties truly creates a divided environment. Countless organizations are wanting to secure that their "select interests" are considered by these candidates. It is understandable; but actually it creates systematic issues in the political campaign trail. Basically; this entire political forum process drives "CORRUPTION" in amazing ways. It will not end with this campaign....but change should come after years of malignancies being revealed locally.

Ultimately; our campaign was caught in the crossfire of the corruption scandals. The "elephant in the room" remains locally more than most want to admit. Prayerfully; the climate of "CHANGE" that started in January 2011 will continue uninhibited by the political ally system historically known in our community.

We had 11 Candidates including members from the Democrat, Republican, Green, and Independent parties. The candidates came from many backgrounds and offered various knowledge, skills, and abilities to the new government.

Ed Fitzgerald was elected and the current government operations are in his hands. The hard decisions he must make are changing the forefront of Cuyahoga County, Ohio for the long term. Prayerfully; he'll treat every citizen's rights as though they were his own family and he'll protect them from further unacceptable public servant abusive practices against the public at large with corruption.

1) Ed Fitzgerald (Democrat)

2) Terri Hamilton Brown (Democrat)

3) Dianna Lynn Hill (Democrat)

4) James Brown (Democrat)

5) David Ellison (Green)

6) Don Scipione (Independent)

7) Ken Lanci (Independent)

8) Tim McCormack (Independent)  

9) Paul Casey (Republican)

10) Victor Voinivich (Republican)

11) Matt Dolan (Republican)

 

In the future; I hope that ordinary citizens are NOT DENIED true access to candidates. I hope that forums are united instead of divided. I believe that years of unscrupulous practices have reduced citizen participation dramatically which has only empowered the political arena to control, manipulate, and violate the populations they serve. Regular citizens should not live in fear of speaking up about things going on in their community. Normal people should not tolerate public servants abusing their positions of power either...but years of that typical scenario has led to countless citizens living in fear.

Prayerfully, transparencies and change will encourage and promote citizen proactiveness.

 

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

Students in High School considering Politics

I hope that schools begin inspiring more local students to consider a future in politics.

Teachers...please consider inspiring students to become future leaders....

Families...empower your children to reach for the stars and to have self confidence...

Encourage the best potential, expect accountability from them, and promote the best in them...

Kids have insurmountable potential....have faith in the possibilities...

Local youth organizations are building up amazing kids....I salute the volunteers who are providing kids with more leadership opportunities and training.... they include but are not limited to the following: 

a) Girl Scouts

b) Boy Scouts

c) U.S. Navy Sea Cadets

d) Civil Air Patrol

e) Young Marines

f) ROTC programs at local high schools.

g) After school programs.

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

Angry citizens...

Locally, there are countless citizens who "STOPPED" Voting... They are fighting mad and discouraged by corruption. That's not a healthy, realistic, or favorable way to run politics in our community.

Voting Blocks are groups of folks that could vote including demographics such as: CMHA, Formerly Incarcerated Persons (FELONS), or Racial Groups). I encourage voting blocks to take back their communities and participate at large. By doing so; you "ROCK THE VOTE" and swing elections into new territories. If many of the disenfranchised people would participate one by one in the process; perhaps we'd all have a more realistic understanding of people's position on matters. 

Without true consideration for all the population that chooses NOT to vote....we really don't have a fair and reasonable political environment. Yet, while these disenfranchised persons sit back; they empower negative and impractical leadership to be sustained. So, it's a very frustrating environment. 

I simply hope that every American Citizen begins to take back their communities by voting and keeping the faith that if we all work as a team; then we'll have better resolves...even when the initial results are not what we had hoped for along the way... Ceasing voting only makes it easier for the corruption to be fueled. 

Citizens have a right to redress candidates, to get answers from their public servants, and to feel safe with doing so... Those rights should be protected!!!  

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

          Always

 

 

 

 

 

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

Election time....who's getting on the ballots this season???

With a couple weeks left in the election season; I wonder who's names and signatures will be submitted for the September Primary Election...........

Any new City Council Candidates in the race???

INSPIRE, MOTIVATE, PARTICIPATE!

Always Appreciative,
"ANGELnWard14"