A couple of months ago I was invited to attend a seminar in Dayton on how to be a successful politician. They were going to tell me how to best get my message across, how to present myself, how to say something without saying anything, and a host of other “suggestions” to make each candidate successful. I chose not to go.
Not because I think I am some super politician or anything like that, but it just seemed to hit me wrong. Maybe I am all wet here, but I believe that seminars like this are what are wrong with politics. I am sure that they can make you a better politician, but is that what we all want? I don’t. Politicians are what we are getting now, and that isn’t working out too well now is it?
I want to see our elected officials as they are, not polished and primped and elevated into something they are not. I think people deserve to see us, faults and all, as we truly are. If we can’t get our message out by ourselves, then how can we possibly hope to govern?
If I can’t tell you how I am going to vote in simple language, how will you know who I am? If you meet me on the street or call me on the phone with a question, you don’t want a stock political answer, you want my answer. I want you to see me not as a slick politician, (I really hate that word!) but as an elected official who is just like you. I may not be as polished as some like, nor does my personality fit with everyone. That’s okay. This is me, and that is what you are going to get.
If all politicians would just be themselves, we would all be better off. It seems now that you have to be “packaged” in order to get elected. Packaged is what we have been getting for too long now. We really don’t know these people, do we? The farther up the political ladder we go, the more our “people” think we need to change in order to be elected. That’s a real problem for me. I want to know who I am voting for, not some made up hack that is nothing like he is portrayed.
Example? I give you John Edwards! This guy was nothing like he was portrayed by his people and the media. He was a shyster who his “people” knew was a shyster, but they allowed him to go on, encouraged him actually to fool everyone because they wanted that power he would get as President. If John Edwards would have been himself, he would never have been elected to anything, and yet his “packaging” got him within a whisker of the presidency! That’s just scary and wrong.
I write these papers so hopefully, you will get to know me better. The punctuation may be wrong, and some words may be misspelled, but I am letting you in on what I believe. I am trying to let all of Darke County see who I am and what I believe. This is what I am. The things I write are what I believe. You may like it, you may not, and that’s fine with me. I am just trying to give you a better look at me and let you have an insight as to how I will be as commissioner. You deserve that. You deserve to see me as I am, faults and all.
please..... no more stegal bs. lets hear from some other cannidates. eeeeeeeenough already.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great to hear from the candidates. But so far, only one candidate has submitted anything to this website.
ReplyDeleteI agree with dj...this fourm is here and open to all of the candidates. Only one seems to care enough to use it. Shows me an inability to "reach out" to the people in the area and use every available platform to get their point across by the other candidates (so far).
ReplyDeleteMike will either get elected because of his informative posts, or be defeated because of over-exposure and people just getting tired of him.
ReplyDeleteMy suggestion to Mike would be to be careful about too much pontificating on "telling it like it is," authenticity, etc. Also, Mike, please check the sources of your quotes. I sent a correction to you via FB regarding two quotes attributed to the wrong person, and you have yet to issue a correction.
Mike, if you're going to continue submitting posts, just tell us your plan. How are you going to make government smaller, as you suggest in a previous post? Tell us how you'll work with the other commissioners. Tell us what you're going to do. I really want to vote for you, but it's getting more difficult with every one of your empty posts.
JP, The way you defend some people and go after others is very confusing to me.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to hear from the other candidates. My vote is up for grab.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Darke Journal would allow people to send in questions and allow the candidates to anwser the questions.
DJ, I'm not going after Mike; He's a fine person and a viable candidate. I'm just asking for facts about how he might serve as commissioner. I'm also not sure what you mean when you say I "defend some people." Either way, I need and look for information before I formulate an opinion.
ReplyDeleteO.K. JP, here you go. Government can be made smaller by checking efficiency. Are we duplicating effort? Are we accessible to the public? Are we overstaffed or understaffed? What areas can we eliminate? What areas need to be doubled up on? Can hours be cut? Can whole departments be downsized? I do not know the answers to these questions, but I will ask them. As for working with Ms. Delaplane and Mr. Rhoades, I have known both for years, I have no problem with either of them, and I respect the decisions they will make even if I disagree with them. We are lucky in that Darke county officials all seem to get along very well.
ReplyDeleteTo people who might be critigal of Mr. Stegall....what have you done to make things better? Have you put your name out there as a candidate? Have you participated in any meaningful way in our political system other than just voting. I give Mr. Stegall a lot of credit for making his views known here. I have not seen that any other candidates have been prevented from posting their thoughts. Thanks Mike, I appreciate your thoughts.
ReplyDeleterobert- mr stegal has shown dirty politics by some of his actions defore the last election. some people remember things like that at election time.
ReplyDeleteMike, thanks for the response. I have a hunch I'm not the only one who wanted some idea as to what you would actually do once in office. We know you don't care about being a "polished" candidate. Neither does your opponent, and my guess is that Darke County doesn't care about polish. We do want substance, however. Concerning the size of government, I think you have been preaching to the choir on this one. I can't imagine anyone in our county enjoying the increase of taxes or the expanding size of government. However, I personally haven't seen anyone actually able to decrease the size. Once in office, I believe our newly elected officeholders suddenly discover it isn't nearly as easy to decrease anything without severely curtailing necessary services or creating higher deficits. As for getting along with the other officeholders, I'm sure you'll have no problem there. They are good people, both republicans and democrats. Keep talking, Mike, but give us substance.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you know what you're talking about 8:07.
ReplyDeleteI'm quite surprised by all those who are being critical of Stegall for writing these articles. I guess all of you like slimy behind-closed-door politicians who never let you know what they're thinking.
I'm going to give myself the last word on this one.