Tomorrow is the special primary election for the 58th Assembly District. I wrote a column about the candidates here and covered the candidate forum here.
I have not yet disclosed the person for whom I will cast a vote. Frankly, it’s not an easy choice. With the exception of Spencer Zimmerman, who is a carpetbagger, all of the candidates are acceptable, but flawed. It is a reminder of the maxim that if you want a perfect candidate, then run yourself. You can read my column or other articles for a more in-depth profile of the candidates. They can all be said to be conservative and have almost identical views on the major issues. Here’s a quick snapshot of their primary controversies:
Steve Stanek gave a $3,000 donation to Tom Barrett. He says that his boss held a fundraiser and he felt compelled to make the contribution, although there is some doubt to that clam. In any case, if one takes his reason at face value, it reveals a character flaw in that he could not withstand even mild pressure (which would have been illegal anyway coming from his employer) to make such a sizable donation to someone whose political views he purports to abhor.
Tiffany Koehler was quoted in a CNN article earlier this year as supporting Obamacare. She denies that she supports Obamacare, but does support the Obamacare mandates regarding preexisting conditions and a maximum lifetime benefit cap. These positions are antithetical to conservative or free market ideology.
Rick Gundrum, in his role as the Washington County Board Chairman, authorized that some “extra” money left at the end of the budget year be given to county employees as bonuses in the form of gift cards. While such an action is fine – even laudable – in a private venture, it is not the action of an elected conservative who is entrusted with the taxpayers’ hard-earned money. The money should have been returned to the taxpayers so they could have a “bonus.”
As I wrote, none of the candidates are perfect. They are people, after all. I’ve had the opportunity to speak with all of them and they are all decent people who would represent the 58th well. That being said, elections are about choices. In this case, I’m going to cast my vote tomorrow for Rick Gundrum.