Franklin Candidate Forum notes: Part 1

Held at the Franklin Public Library and sponsored by the Franklin Area Junior Women's Club and the South Suburban Chamber of Commerce. About 75 people showed up - - pretty darn good for the day after Easter.

Here are just a few initial notes and impressions upon which I'll expand over the course of the week:

Pete Kosovich, incumbant candidate for 4th District alderman, said he is accessible and available to his constituents. "I see them and we wave to one another as we walk down the street." My question for "Peko": Where in Franklin is this street where people can stroll and greet one another?

Kosovich faces in Steve Taylor an opponent who appears genetically engineered for local politics. At the very least, Taylor's degrees in political science and government administration make for a formidable candidate; on top of that, he speaks sense. And, for those who care about such things, I noticed from my seat behind him before he took his turn up front that he has quite a collection of George W. Bush bumper stickers decorating the inside of his portfolio.

School Board candidates were asked their stance on teaching the theory of evolution. For a moment, I felt as though we had been transported to the other side of the Mason-Dixon line. However, their answers were blessedly enlightened and free of reference to "equal time for creationism."

All candidates at a forum such as this should be as focussed on getting a good microphone and proper usage of that microphone as they are on their position notes. It's remarkable how a faint voice speaking facts can be overwhelmed by a booming voice mouthing platitudes.

Ah, to run unopposed. Leaning against the back wall with his jacket on was 6th District alderman Ken Skowronski.

Dare I say that this blog's vocabulary and viewpoint have been injected into the candidate's rhetoric? Suddenly, we hear talk of "sidewalks," "community gathering places," "traffic abatement," "safe streets." I don't recall those topics being raised in the past.

Meanwhile, there are those who still don't seem to "get it." 3rd District Aldermanic incumbent Alan Hammelman may have hobbled his re-election chances by leaning hard on a "sprawl trifecta" while ignoring any notion of community-building: he touted his "pro-business" position (which has provided few dividends to Franklin taxpayers to date); focussed to a truly irrational degree on the 27th Street Corridor (a forest of TIFs that will do little to relieve taxpayer burdens or build community amenities); and actually advocated further development to Franklin's southeast (more expensive infrastructure as Franklin struggles to deal with its present infrastructure). 

Mayor Tom Taylor positively referenced ideas and statements by aldermanic candidate Kristen Wilhelm at least three times in his remarks. I have no note of him referencing incumbent alderman Alan Hammelman - - who claims an endorsement from the mayor on his campaign literature - - at all. I found that significant, as did a number of people with whom I spoke afterwards.

Speaking of campaign literature: Hammelman claims to run 3 miles in 24 minutes. He's gonna have to get that down under 21 minutes in order to be an effective alderman for the 3rd district, I'm afraid.

More to come after I finish reviewing the tape...

Comments

[Steve O]

John:

You could have tapped me on my bald head and said hello... what gives?

[Fred Keller]

John,

I noticed the bald-dude in the back, but who’s the handsome-devil in the second row, RIGHT-side, second seat in?

Great reporting on the Forum. Here are my three favorite lines:

"Where in Franklin is this street where people can stroll and greet one another?"

"Kosovitch faces in Steve Taylor an opponent who appears genetically engineered for local politics."

"Mayor Tom Taylor positively referenced ideas and statements by aldermanic candidate Kristen Wilhelm at least three times in his remarks. I have no note of him referencing incumbent alderman Alan Hammelman…"

OUCH!

Looking forward to Part 2.

[Steve O]

Second row... let me think.... Bryan Maersch?

[Greg Kowalski]

I'll never forget that forum...all the FranklinNOW bloggers were sitting next to each other and sharing smiles.

Cheers to the great post, John. I see Fred is also doing a good job covering tax issues.

[John Michlig]

I sat in back, as is my habit. The better to see who is whispering to whom and who giggles during what particular statements.

Post-forum conversation was lively and won't be soon forgotten.

Steve O, I was so astounded to see all those NOW bloggers (and one NOW alumnus) in one spot that I forgot my manners and didn't disengage long enough to say hello.

One NOW "community blogger" did not deign to attend the forum, however. Maybe THIS event was JUST IN the wrong venue?

He missed a particularly interesting post-forum roundtable discussion ....