First, here are a couple images I took at the scene of the police chase car crash at 29th and Bridge that happened on Saturday. I never saw an article in the paper, but
here's what KWQC said about it. I'd like to see a statement from the police on what happened, but maybe I just missed the QCTimes article about it? This is the unfortunate side of chasing criminals. Sometimes they crash, and sometimes those crashes involve innocent folks. However, as we saw a few years ago, even when police break off the chase, the suspect may continue to drive at high speeds, and could still kill someone. To my knowledge, we've had more deaths in the last 5 or 6 years from broken-off chases (1) than we have from actual pursuits (0). That doesn't even take into account the number of crimes that were later committed by people who police were forced to let get away. As we saw Saturday, chasing criminals is dangerous, but I believe its less dangerous than letting them escape.
Secondly, and in less sad news, I saw Gene Meeker out campaigning the old fashioned way Saturday, also in the area of Garfield School. He was wearing down the shoes, knocking on doors, and handing out fliers himself. Hopefully some of the people who imagine him as some stuffed shirt former D1 bigwig met him and saw that he's a fairly regular guy. Jennifer Olsen's donation to Phil Yerington's campaign (in addition to issues I've mentioned before) has got me thinking twice about her. She's got a lot of good stuff going for her, but you also have to look who people's friends are. I can honestly say I haven't decided who my second At-Large vote will be for.
27 comments:
QCI - Well stated comments on chasing criminals! It seems you have a pretty strong grasp on that issue. Now as far as politics... not so much. I will make my decisions based on their stand on issues, not who is or is not on their contributor list.
QCI
I agree we have ought to look a whose people's friends are. McGivern comes to mind.:)
Yes, and McGivern was a GREAT alderma!!
Really QCI - I think twice about Meekers association to Davenport One and Maryellen Chamberlin. I know that he is lying to people, he told someone recently that Phil Yerrington asked him to run. He also told someone else that he is not involved with Davenport One and that he wouldn't give them any money. Sure Gene. Say anything to be elected.
Campaign donations do not mean people are friends with that person. I have been to number of campaign fundraisers. They are fun and you should throw something in the bucket. I have actually attended fundraisers for both candidates in a race. So what. These things are social events and you will see many people (especially the D1 crowd) covering their butts after the primary and donating to the candidates that made it through because they are worried about the future and loyalties. Learn poltics buddy and stop basing you support on satupid stuff.
Gosh - the more I think about this post the crazier it makes me QCI. You have always come across as somewhat sensible and have encouraged poltical involvement in an educated way. You have criticized people for not voting and for being putative, etc. I can't believe you would actually vote for someone just because you saw them door knocking. I thought you had more depth then that. God help us all if we use seeing someone dorr knocking as a reason to support a candidate. Maybe you are part of the Davenport problem and people like you who vote willy nilly. Don't complain when the wrong people get elected.
I learned many years ago that just because you donate or have a sign in your yard does not mean that is who you will vote for.
I don't get the problem some of you have with Davenport 1. We have a growing beautiful downtown, Thank-you D1, We have many new businesses downtown, thanks D1, we have new businesses in other parts of town with good paying salaries, thanks D1, we have an incubator center that is doing a great job helping businesses get started, thanks D1. We have a growing river front with a new skate park, thanks D1. When we get to the point that we are so divided we can't see a reason to learn from each other and work together we lose as a city.
We need to find candidates that can work with the business community and the neighborhoods. The people that are against everything do this city no favor. Some of our current aldermen and some running work against anything that the business community supports. How smart is that?
Jen Olsen and Phil Yerrington are cut from the same cloth. Jen is a friend of Keith Meyer, and Shawn Hammerlink, that says it all.
I didn't say that I was voting for Meeker, or that him knocking on doors increased my likelihood of doing so. In some ways I think he would be a good Alderman, and in others I worry. Obviously the 3rd Street Mart story is a big worry.
So I have Ian, who I know I am voting for, and then other than that I'm undecided between some people who I respect, but have reservations about.
I just love how people all the sudden claim to know every detail about the candidates. Ask Shawn Hamerling how much Olsen and him talk. Ask Meyer.
I get sick of uninformed voters who vote on stupid things like you do QCI. You are part of the problem with this town. You and those who vote like you. Take responsibility for the destasters you have elected to council recently. Vote now for change.
Lynn was out knocking on doors this past week and could barely breathe to say anything. Later I heard he was recovering from pneumonia. Admirable that he's trying to campaign but not so admirable that he exposed us voters to illness.
Was he wearing his little red beret and telling you to vote for him, or else?
I agree on Frink, Still finding it hard to figure out what Olsen's positions are outside of the neighborhoods. She really needs to clarify what she thinks about jobs and growth outside of the neighborhoods.
Great. Now we have somebody calling us stupid and uninformed who can't spell Shawn's last name.
"Later I heard he (Lynn) was recovering from pneumonia."
Yeah, he my have been sick, but didn't pass up a chance for a "sound bite" on TV when they did a story on Alderman Brookes' passing.
DavenportOne's Candidate survey has been responded to by most of the candidates. The responses are interesting when compared to the candidates issue statements, at least for those have published issues.
On several occasions I have tried to more clearly understand Olsen's positions with regard to her economic growth issues. Her answer to the first question on the D1 survey,
http://www.davenportone.com/Election2007/Survey%20Response%20-%20Olsen.html, sheds some light on what might be expected. It sounds that she believes that there should be predetermined criteria ('plan") for where and for what city economic incentives should be used. Her opinion is that "All too often Davenport has reacted to specific proposals instead of placing proposals into an overall plan."
The reality is that development opportunities do not necessarily fall into neat little categories. So if the opportunity presents it's self and doesn't fit the plan, does that mean we don't pursue it? I am concerned this type of an approach will micro manage economic development and politicize it into ward competition for development dollars.
Remember, a business is not going to do a deal that does not meet their needs. If your plans are too restrictive, you don't get the jobs, you don't get the tax base. You will end up with higher taxes as you loose tax base.
Jen Olsen, doesn't seem to have the knowledge it takes to run this city. She is a scrapper, I'll give you that, but she is very short sited in her vision. As to people who don't think Hammerlink and Meyer are her go to people, check who Meyer went to for advise after his run in with the police at the skate park, his good friends, Hammerlink and Olsen.
We can also tell where Olsen is coming from with her contributions to the Yerington campaign.
That's all bull, Jen will be good for this city. Stop spreading stupid rumors.
11:03 - I think actually her approach makes sense. Think about it. How many projects in this town have gone against the comprehensive plan. Pedcor comes to mind. We have a developer come to town looking for land and they just picked a piece that was outside the circle of services. But we approved it. Then denied it. Other examples are the half way house that was defeated in the central west area. Another - Balcony house. E-serv. So many project go in or are proposed without a master plan for how we want this city to look. I think her proposal is actually just the enforcement of the comprehensive plan. Not bad. Sorta brilliant.
I think Jen Olsen is such a negative person that she will not be able to see something good when it comes along. E-Serve will grow the tax base and it is what is needed to be competitive.
All of these comments are from Dan Lubell. He is worried about losing this election. He should be.
Let's add the Call Center to the list of good jobs that might not have become a reality if it didn't fit Olsen's Master Plan.
The problem is that we don't know what her vision of a master plan is. Which of the new jobs that have been added to Davenport would she have been willing to give up because they didn't fit the Mater Plan?
To 10:03...These comments are from Jen Olsen. She is paranoid and thinks that everybody that disagrees with her is named Dan Lubell.
Get a life Dan. Go rip off a poor single mother somewhere. And ruin another neighborhood with your unscreened tenants who you have "nothing to do with" you A$$hole.
QCI - not everyone is friends with people who donate to their campaign. You are smarter then that QCI.
People running for office aren't "everyone" - they're politicians running in the same race. You don't donate to someone else running in the same election if you don't like them, or hope for them to win. I think it's logical to assume that the status of "friend" may exist in this case.
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