Republican mayoral contender Ken Johnson says that voters should look past party affiliations when eyeing who should be running City Hall.
Party labels “don’t correlate at all” with the honesty, integrity, attitude and vision of candidates for municipal office, Johnson said.
But Democrat Art Ward, who is also hoping to succeed GOP Mayor William Stortz, said that party ties do matter.
“The basic beliefs of the national Democratic Party for the concern, well being and rights of all of us, as human beings, are carried forward throughout the community, the state and the nation,” Ward said.
Since there are more than twice as many registered Democrats in Bristol as there are Republicans, it’s perhaps not surprising that GOP candidates are less apt to call attention to their political affiliation.
Still, independents make up the largest group of voters, so Democrats can’t rely solely on numbers.
Ward said he has “always been a member of the Democratic Party due to my belief that the principles of equality, respect and concern for all human beings in the workplace, at home and in society are reflected in the history of the Democratic Party and in the actions of the Democratic Party today.”
Johnson said he’s a Republican today “because my parents were Republicans.” He said he suspects most people follow the same political path.
In general, though, Johnson said “I strongly resist being labeled in any way” because being a Republican “has a different meaning to everyone.”
Johnson said that in any case “there is no correlation” between the local Republicans and the national GOP.
“When you’re talking national politics, it’s a completely different animal from municipal politics,” Johnson said.
“Art and I are running for mayor of the of Bristol,” Johnson said, so issues that have the parties at each other’s throats on the national level, from the war in Iraq to abortion, don’t have any relation to city issues.
Besides, Johnson said, “It’s self-evident there are a lot of people who are sick of the Democrats and they’re sick of the Republicans.”
“There’s no question in my mind that voters feel an increasing level of helplessness in regard to choosing their leadership for the city of Bristol,” Johnson said.
Ward said, though, that a candidate’s party does matter, even on the local level.
He said the party affiliation a candidate chooses offer “a greater insight as to the needs and the concerns of the constituency that one has the privilege of representing.”
Party choice, he said, affords “the opportunity to become more fully aware of the impact of these issues and the manner of addressing solutions to the problems.”
Johnson said voters should ask not whether a candidate belongs to the Democratic or Republican party.
Instead, he said, he wants them to ask themselves about candidates’ honesty, integrity, ability to listen and readiness to be civil even with those they disagree with.
The city election is Nov. 6. Mayors serve two-year terms for a salary bout $100,000 annually.
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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
28 comments:
Ok, so Art Ward thinks political parties are important, yet he was willing to run as an independent anyway even if he lost the primary?
Good point, did he really say that? What a hypocrite!
I agree.....with poster at 2:22pm
Where was Art Ward's "party loyalty" when he was willing to ditch the party and run as an independent if he had not taken the Democratic Primary?
Furthermore, I agree with some of Ken Johnson's comments regarding National Party Agendas have little to do with our Mayoral Race here in Bristol.
But he didn't lose the Primary nor would he have abandoned his principles of respect, integrity and honesty if he did run as an independent, which is the reason that he did win the Primary.
In Bristol's politics it was important for Art to register as an independant candidate. As we saw with the low number of voters that turned out, his voice would have better been represented with the entire voting population versus just the democrats. He can be an independant candidate with the same strong democrat beliefs and background.
Poster 2:50p
That would be correct, if you agree and believe that Mr Ward is a respectful and honest man of integrity.
If we can agree that BOTH candidates are respectful and honest men of integrity,
then it comes down to who will do a better job and who represents the ideals of where each and every voter in Bristol wishes to see our City go in the future.
Hopefully you will agree that Mr Johnson has as much respect, integrity and honesty as you believe Mr Ward does, otherwise we're traveling down a slippery slope....
You people defending Art Ward are missing the point, though I am not surprised.
Ward was willing to ditch the Democratic Party when it suited him, but now he's saying the Party is important to him because it suits his present situation. What a hypocrite. So much for Ward's "principles of respect, integrity, and honesty."
For us and our neighbors in Bristol, it should be rather obvious that party affiliation should not matter when chosing who will recieve our votes. If we examine the last 2 administrations, it's clear that the themes of inefficiency, unfinished projects, low morale among city workers, and a dissatisfied electorate have emerged to transcend party affiliation.
What Bristol needs is leadership. Not a Republican Mayor, not a Democratic Mayor, not a Republican Council or a Democratic Council. If we elect leaders in November, as opposed to politicians, the problems our city is faced with should begin to be addressed and eliminated, as opposed to ignored and set aside.
The issues we face here are not as important as the issues that national parties have allowed to identify them. Rather, the issues we face here in Bristol are of infinately more importance. Ask yourselves what impacts you and your family more - what happens on Wall Street, or what happens on Main Street. The politicians in D.C. will not fight our blight, lure businesses to the Industrial Park, or market our downtown to private developers. They will not decide if 900 student schools are the best decision for your grandkids. Most of all, they will not be spending your property tax dollars.
Additionally, if anyone cares to explain how the Democratic way of putting up a stop sign, conducting a traffic survey, organizing the Mum parade, hiring a police officer, or balancing a budget differs from the Republican way, I'm all ears. I think if we all give it some thought, we'll find we're more alike than previously thought.
Ken Johnson, Bob Merrick and The Bristol First team is comprised of leaders - not followers, and not people satisfied with the status quo. Not all of them have made a habit of attending city meetings or endearing themselves to particular blocs of voters. Rather, they have real world life experience, the kind that comes from having customers, supervisors, and investors to report to. They work hard, just like you and I. They love our town and our neighbors - and they have the leadership skills necessary to bring results to our neighbors and friends - regarless of party affiliation.
The whole point of a political party is to respect the decision of its members.
It's fine if you go against the DTC decision, because that's a small select group.
But if you are not willing to accept the decision of the Democratic voters in a primary, then it's obvious that the Political Party means absolutely nothing to Ward.
“Art and I are running for mayor of the of Bristol,” Johnson said.
Brilliantly put, almost as good as the stuff that Artie writes when he's trying to sound all puffed up.
It's evident, not self-evident, Ken, that you boys are not like the party reps at the national level, but party does matter.
So Ken is a Republican because his parents were. Sweet. That's the kind of loyalty that ought to be reserved for ball teams. What do you really think, Ken? Is George Bush your man?
He's the Republican president, after all. Is you, or is you ain't, a Republican?
“There’s no question in my mind that voters feel an increasing level of helplessness in regard to choosing their leadership for the city of Bristol,” Johnson said.
No kidding, and I can't blame them.
I guess Ken Johnson didn't take English at the University of Virgina, or if he did, he used the George W. Bush study guide.
I think the democratic party "ditched" Art, not the other way around. He is still very much a man of integrity and honesty. He'll make a great mayor.
Um, no, Art Ward ditched the Democratic party by filing to run as an Independent even before the voters spoke.
So RED DOT (aka no-body), you are saying that Johnson and Merrick don't actually adhere to any Republican core principles? Are you saying that they are simply using the party as a tool for their own agenda that may or may not necessarily be consistent with a Republican one?
I have been a Republican for years and I support the Republicans because they stand for fiscal conservatism and individual rights. Republicans believe that smaller, less intrusive government is better for society. More importantly Republicans don't adhere to the agenda of special interest groups that control the Democrat Party and are bankrupting the state.
Perhaps you're a actually a Democrat who turned Republican for some reason? Hmmmm it's strating to come together here Mr. Red Dot.
4:13: Ummm Bush is still better than Kerry, Gore, Clinton, Dukakis, Carter or LBJ.
In this local election the only thing that should matter is chosing candidates that can lead. All anyone has to do is go to a town council meeting to see that the current group leading Bristol is nothing short of dysfunctional. How can a group who can't seem to get along get anything done? The answer is they can't... just look at the stalemate that has and is occurring. Bristol deserves better! Elect leaders based on issues, plans and that you believe can work together to make Bristol the town that we want it to be.
I have no problem with Art Ward wanting to primary for the right to represent the democrats for mayor. I do have a problem with him also hedging his bet and willing to run as an independent then saying political parties are important. Which is it party or self interest? What if he had lost and was now running as an independent how would he answer the question. What does this say about his integrity, honesty and ability to lead. You have to respect Ellen for her party loyalty and not trying to have it both ways.
To the latest anonymous poster intent on twisting words without focusing on the overall message: before you post, use spell check - you'll discover that "strating" isn't a word.
At no point in my message did I imply that Bob and Ken aren't Republicans. My message was intended to illustrate how true leadership, the kind that Bob and Ken display daily, transcends party affiliation. Their message should easily appeal to a vast majority of the electorate - Republicans, Independents, and even reasonable, open-minded Democrats.
I am a member of the RTC, I'm proud to count Johnson and Merrick among my peers, and I have happily contributed to their campaigns. They are Republicans - just not the kind that Bill Stortz or Art Mocabee are.
Gee, how smart you are picking up on that typo. I'm so impressed.
I'm not sure the Blog hosts have installed spell check there so I guess you're not a computer engineer.
So now you're banging on Mocobee and Stortz now? It's evident that you have a problem. Since both those two men have contributed greatly to the party, I would say that your negativity is unwanted by many...including me.
Why do people still claim there was a low turnout in the primary? This dem primary had a very high turnout.
Usually you only get 20% to vote.
Red Dot:
I'm trying to figure who on the RTC hate Stortz and Mocobee and who you are. It's not that difficult to narrow it down. So what have Stortz and Mocobee done as Republicans that you find so distasteful? Hve they been ignoring you? Do you think you can lead the party better? I guess the question is, do you know what you're talking about? My answer to that is no.
Oh I see, you're a brilliant strategist who has figured out that Republicans need to appeal to more than just Republicans. Guess what? It's a strategy that's already been discovered (everyone knows the city is over 2 to 1 in favor of Dems).
I'm not saying they shouldn't but why would anyone vote against Frank or Minor based on your analysis? Do they not display leadership? Frank was mayor for 10 years. Minor is a Town Planner and has spear-headed many projects here in town (some successful for him some not). It sounds like you just enjoy hating and attacking people.
Don't you think that you may need to focus on some serious issues rather than just spewing hyperbole and attacking other good local Republicans? Looks like the initial comment from the Republican in another topic thread whom you attacked has not been deleted, yet yours was in that thread. Perhaps you are the one who should stay silent and move on?
People say the primary turnout is low in order to make excuses for Art Ward hedging his bet by running as an Independent if he lost the primary. By whining about low primary turnout, if Ward lost they try to make it sound like the primary decision is somehow illegitimate.
Ken Johnson could win the election by the numbers if he runs a good campaign. Not sure about orange campaign signs but that's just me. It has not been reported and is intriging to me wether Art Ward reached out to Ellen Zoppo after the primary. Low turnout or whatever, his victory was not a mandate but a hard fought war. Where are her 2000 votes going, plus the support she had from the independants and republicans?
Mr Johnson says that party affiliation should not matter.W.hy did you throw Bill Stortz under the bus.Like me Bill and i are proud Republicans,Ken you should be to.
Let's set the facts straight here.
The republican party in Bristol did not abandon Bill Stortz. Maybe it was he who abandoned them. Bristol republicans began talking with Bill as early as June 2006 to see if he was going to run but in his classic form he would not give an indication of his intentions. As time went by and Bill still did not state his intentions (not even a maybe) and he even stopped coming to town committee meetings so the party moved on. Mr. Johnson did not have anything to do with this and we are happy to have him reprent the party in the election. Bill was not thrown under a bus as you say because he was driving it.
The republican party is changing with existing and new faces along with ideas coming into the mix. The old guard may not like it but that is what is happening. That does not make this new group of leaders any less republican.
"All anyone has to do is go to a town council meeting to see that the current group leading Bristol is nothing short of dysfunctional."
I am sick to death of people calling the city council "dysfunctional". They were trying to govern the City with a control-obsessed ultra conservative at the helm. This is what happens when one party controls the legislature, and the other party controls the executive. What would you expect?
Why doesn't Hamzy and Burns tell governor Rell that if she really wanted to save the taxpayers money she should give up more of her goodies in her Budget? After all it is my understanding she has what she wants in it. And I guess all those important projects don't mean anything to those who voted against the budget . How can you do so much for your districts if you vote against the budget. I guess one can't say they did anything for their districts if all you do is vote against them.
"This is what happens when one party controls the legislature, and the other party controls the executive. What would you expect?"
Sounds like the definition of "dysfunctional" to me.
What I expect is for these folks to work together. That is what they are paid to do and what we elected them to do. If they can't get along or work together it is time for a change. Clean Sweep!
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