I was astonished when I heard things like, we need YOUNG candidates on the Assembly and the Legislature; and we need to turn the liberal Assembly to a conservative Assembly to support Mayor Sullivan to get things done.
Statements made recently by Republican Rebecca Logan on the Dan Fagan Radio show last week, promoting candidates in East Anchorage races validated to some extent of what’s wrong with Republicans and the Party message. Is there not a place for OLD candidates? Better judgment might be prudent in using the strategy on promoting less experienced candidates vs. more experienced candidates might be wise. I am sure this was a slip of-the-lip promotion.
During his two terms in office, Democrat and extremely liberal Mayor Mark Begich happen to get more things done; spent more of taxpayer's money; and passed more legislation than any other Mayor to date with the help of the” conservative" majority Assembly. Will that mean conservative Mayor Sullivan cannot do the job effectively without that conservative Assembly? What made Begich popular among his Democratic constituents was that he confronted new issues using his agenda, with help from the less confrontational moderates who failed to challenge him.
In my humble judgment, I would vote for someone with some years in age who would use their experiences when confronting issues, and challenge the executive office.
After all, among a host of many qualification indicators, I would measure life and worldly experiences as important qualities for those who will be making decisions affecting people’s lives. Those experiences might include travel and work; and equally with time and type of community and national service a candidate has.
Too many times we elect candidates solely based on their looks, and the short time we get to know them during the brief campaign; but with a good resume behind the candidate, one that includes a lifelong number of successes can make a world of difference than just being YOUNG.
