Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Primary Vote-Fors and Vote-Againsts
..and the Queen of Election07

I have no problem endorsing candidates. After all, all an election really consists of is people telling you who they think you should vote for. I did it last election, and I'll do it for the November election. However, since today is only a primary, I'm going with 3 candidates I feel definitely deserve to survive the primary, and 3 who I feel shouldn't. I'm not bothering with non-candidates like Swanson who have little to no chance of making it to the general election. There are other candidates who I support (or don't support), but didn't make the top 3.

Vote-Fors: (Not in order of deservedness)

Bill Gluba -This is a combination of a vote-for and two vote-againsts. I like a lot of what Gluba has to say, and I dislike a lot of what Yerington has to say. Obviously Yerington's ties with Lynn, landlords, and the "If there's anything bad going on in Davenport government, call us" group makes me think that he would be just as controversial as he ever was. Howard wouldn't be the end of the world, but she's definitely part of the current circus problem.

Ian Frink -He's been our At-Large Alderman for 2 years, yet he's gotten very little press. Why is this? Its because he's been doing his job in a professional manner and staying out of the scandals. He asks a lot of the same questions of city staff that people demand, but he doesn't do it during council meetings for the benefit of the cameras. I've heard people who generally agree with each "side" of the council say that Ian deserves reelection. I very much agree.

Nate Brown -I wouldn't characterize him as being on either "side" of the existing council, but my one in-person conversation with him left me impressed. He knows what's going on, and he knows how to make positive changes without scandals and fighting. The first ward will be a huge turnaround if it goes from VanFossen to Brown.

Vote-Againsts
(Not in any particular order, except maybe the first one)

Bill Lynn -So many reasons, but I want to keep it to only a paragraph. Lynn supporters are pointing to the Guardian Angels in droves as his big accomplishment, but Jeremy Boots seems like the guy with the original idea. Don't let this one issue distract you from everything else that's happened in the last 2 years. He is in the pocket of landlords, which is a very small group to work for, and some of them aren't even Davenport residents. He makes silly statements like comparing construction costs of a handicapped-accessible public restroom in floodplain to a residential home. He was against downtown design guidelines that were supported by downtown businesses. Etc, etc.

Keith Meyer -Watching a city council meeting shouldn't be an uncomfortable ordeal. There should not be confrontational demands about city staff's personal yardwaste sticker locations, or minutes taken to explain the meaning of the phrase "rhetorical question". Why can't all these questions be asked prior to meetings, in a way that doesn't make the city council look like a circus. Keith puts a lot of time and effort into this job, but I think its starting to be to his personal detriment, as well as the city's. His statements that downtown is a failure and that people who make $60k a year wouldn't want to live in Davenport are just icing on the Vote-against cake.

Phil Yerington -Landlord autodialers, and an admitted truck of baggage. There are 2 main reasons not to vote for Yerington. He seems to be in with the Lynn-Landlord crowd, and the landlords are running their usual negative attack garbage that I so despise. One thing I wonder is whether Victory Enterprises runs the attack ads both for and against Jamie Howard. The other reason to pass on Phil is his excessive history of scandal and controversy. It would practically take Mother Teresa to ignore all of his past conflicts with various people. While it does seem like Phil has matured and calmed some, I don't think he's gotten to the Mother Teresa level yet. I'll be curious to see if he stays involved even if he's defeated.


The undebatable Queen of this election for her tireless work in informing the voters when the rest of us bloggers didn't get the job done?

Snarky
Thanks for everything she has done.

39 comments:

QuadCityImages said...

Is anyone else getting autodialer calls that list various Davenport schools on caller ID? My mom said she got one, but I don't see how that would be legal.

Anonymous said...

I vote for Yerington: He has shown he can lead the city and do a damn good job of it. Has years of police work in his favor. He is not in anyones pocket he is his own man.

Cunningham: Great personallity and with his full time job I feel he will help the city do something with the empty houses

Anonymous said...

Best of all posts-QCI. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Yerrington is the only candidate for Mayor the landlords aren't slamming with there auto-dialers. Not a good sign for Phil. I agree that Lynn has got to go. He has done more damage to the central city than any other Alderman. Unfortunaly Ambrose, Hammerlind and Meyer, vote with him almost everytime. There isn't a rental inspection law that the foursome hasen't pushed to help the rental association.

Anonymous said...

Great post QCI!!

Looks like you have it right on the money too. Vote NO for yerington!

Anonymous said...

Yerington has nothing to do with any auto dialers that are being done. He has run a clean campaign. I haven't heard him slam anyone as the other two have done.

Vote YERINGTON today and lets get started on making Davenport better

Anonymous said...

yerington is not up front about everything.............where are his papers that are supposed to be on file?

Anonymous said...

His papers were filed. I am sorry that the ethic committee hasn't had time to post them as of yet. but they were filed and received

Anonymous said...

Amazing how everyone else's get posted but yerington's. What's he trying to hide? Possibly he can sue the city for not having them posted in a timely fashion!

Anonymous said...

The committe receives from ALL of Iowa. Maybe instead of posting on blogs and tryingt o trash others you could get a job with the committe so you can insure us THE ENTIRE state is posted in a timely manner.

All you need to do is call them and they will confirm papers were filed and they have not had the chance to post them all

Remember Yerignton starts with Y which if you do not know it is the 25th letter of the alphabet.

Anonymous said...

To my knowledge he has never sued the city for anything...

You are now just trying to discredit him.

If you look NOT all candidates in every ward have papers posted seeing they did not get to them all yet. Yerignton is NOT the only ones not there

Anonymous said...

I do not need to discredit him........he does it all by himself!!! Do your research, he did sue the city!

Anonymous said...

No he did not sue the city. but keep trying...

The city paid him off because THEY KNEW THEY WERE WRONG and ya know what...Howard was one who approved this payoff and she is now trying to use it against him

sorry it won't work

Anonymous said...

8:48 post..........

You really don't need to be so snotty! I also would be interested in seeing yerington's papers. I want to know who donated to his campaign and how many of them are landlords.

Anonymous said...

Yeringtons papers were filed. The committe has not yet posted them. This is at not fault of Yerington.
He submitted as the others did on time

Anonymous said...

How about all of the D1 business owners pouring big dollars into Howard's campaign?

Anonymous said...

A quick look of the last report shows Howard getting about 40% of her money from out of town! Why are out of town folks buying a Davenport election???

Anonymous said...

The river boats paid Howard tons. so you can imagine tht if she gets voted in The IOC will re located ANYWHERE they want to

Anonymous said...

At least we can see who donated to howard, unlike yerington!

Anonymous said...

Why don't you give it a break?
Its not Yeringotns fault the Ethic Comittee has not posted. As said why not call them and ask to assure yourself his papers WERE filed

Anonymous said...

QCI: As a 3rd ward resident - who will you vote for there? Dyer or Boom?

Anonymous said...

I live in the 3rd and voted Myers

Anonymous said...

more than half of the reports for all candidates are not posted on the site yet. including starting with At Large - Combs, Clawson, Gibbs, Holmes, Gaghagen, Hamerlinck, Meyer(who it appears has never reported), and Ambrose... It is not just Phil. I would assume many of the below have reported and the website has not been updated with all of the 2000+ reports statewide that were due two business days ago. If you want to go down that road, why doesn't someone ask the question - Why has there never been a report by Alderman Meyer???

Anonymous said...

Because Myer dos not accept donations he spend his own money to support himself

Anonymous said...

Where does one go to review these papers and to see who has contributed to individual campaigns?

Anonymous said...

It is not a question as to whether or not he filed, I want to know who donated!!! So, MYOB!!!

http://iecdb.iowa.gov/reports/county/SCOTT/City_Candidate/

Anonymous said...

http://iecdb.iowa.gov/reports/county/SCOTT/City_Candidate/

Anonymous said...

sorry............last word should read "candidate"

Snarky Chick said...

If you want to check out campaign disclosures just click here.

QCI, nice post, I don't always agree with you though. You are pretty close this time, but I'm trying to not endorse, just inform. Not that there's anything wrong with endorsing ;)

And thanks for the acknowledgement, it was fun to really look at all the candidates but tiring!

Anonymous said...

To 1:10 If you are so nosey then why not email phil and ask him who donated.

Anonymous said...

Where is page 1 of 2 for Jamie Howard's Expenditure Listing?? It appears to be missing from the State Ethics Cmt. Website....

Anonymous said...

It is not a point of being nosey. How can anyone make an intelligent choice if they don't know all the facts. Now go find someone else to harass!

QuadCityImages said...

Anonymous @11:21 AM said...

QCI: As a 3rd ward resident - who will you vote for there? Dyer or Boom?


When's the last time I said I still live in the 3rd ward?

Anonymous said...

Exiting polls today show that of those who voted:

13% think Howard is male
24% think Howard is female
63% unsure

Anonymous said...

Jamie Howard...isn't he a linebacker for the Chicago Bears.

QuadCityImages said...

You know, if the best attacks you can make on her are shallow, appearance-based ones, that either says she's not so bad, or that you're just morons.

Anonymous said...

If we are going to vote based on appearance, then I guess Gluba has it hands down. You are all real quick to knock Jamie, but, has anyone noticed that phil has put on a pound or two?

Anonymous said...

Steroids! His head looks like a pimple on a big a@@.

QuadCityImages said...

You folks need to knock off the stupid attacks on people's appearance. It just lowers the level of discussion around here.