Locked in a 3-3 vote with Treatha Brown-Foster, Lavonta Williams, an independent, is asking some of the most prominent Democrats in her district to encourage Council members to change their votes, according to an e-mail she sent last week. On the list were Sen. Donald Betts, Rep. Melody McCray-Miller and Rep. Oletha Faust-Goudeau.
"Presently there is a 3/3 vote and I need one more vote and need to make sure I maintain the 3 that I have," she wrote. "I would be a hard worker for my community, I listen and work well with people, and my word is my bond. Anything you could do would be greatly appreciated. We especially need Sue Schlapp or Paul Gray."
Council members will resume voting at the end of their Tuesday meeting and continue until they choose a candidate. It takes four votes to win. Council member Jeff Longwell, a Republican who is a Pachyderm member, like Brown-Foster, seemed to be the most likely tie-breaker. But he has said that Williams is the best candidate for District 1 and that he's doesn't plan to change his vote. Mayor Carl Brewer, who appointed both candidates to the District Advisory Board when he held the District 1 seat, voted for Williams. He has said he maintains an open mind on the candidates and that information continues to pour in. However, Williams appeared in one of Brewer's campaign ads on TV and it seems he may be returning that support now. Even some of the most connected folks in City Hall say the outcome on Tuesday is anyone's guess. But, unless they change their rules, which sometimes happens, they'll continue voting until someone wins.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Lavonta Williams asks Democratic legislators for help
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15 comments:
That Lavonta Williams would use some of the more prominent Democrats in attempt to sway the vote of the City Council in her favor, would be the main reason, I hope the Council will vote against her.
No Cronyism at City Hall . . .yeah, right!
After the Republican county party from everywhere else BUT District One has already put on the full-court press for their favorite Pachyderm insider, Williams isn't allowed to ask the state legislators who actually represent the area to put in a word for her?
They too know more about District One than any of the Republicans pushing Foster. It's their district too. If the legislators for that area won't back Foster, and the former council member for the district won't back Foster, how much can she actually get done?
I think it's obvious that Williams is the best fit for the district, and the GOP just wants to grab the seat the only way they can, since they can't win it by election.
Mike Kinard is the best candidate to fill the seat. He has served on the USD 259 School Board and has the experience necessary to build bridges between the governmental entities - he can "hit the ground running." Neither LaVonta nor Treatha can do that.
As my council member, I expect Longwell to make a wise & informed choice.
Wistrom didn't say how much candidate informtion was provided to council members. Were there impressons based on a short interview? Did Longwell ask for references? Wistrom's blog implied that Longwell knows Foster from attending the Pachyderm Club meetings. I hardly remember seeing Longwell at any meeting for the past 18 months while Foster makes almost every meeting.
I thought the council members were supposed to be non-partisan (unlike the state reps & state senators). I think that Brown would be a better job helping to clean up the the corruption & cronyism at city hall.
Several council members, including Longwell, said their interviews with candidates were about a half hour each. I'm not sure whether anyone called references.
Both LaVonta and Treatha have their strengths and weaknesses, positives and negatives. I'd vote for LaVonta if it were my choice. As Brent noted, the council members interviewed each one of them, but because both are active in the community, it's not like they're unknown commodities.
Bill - if these seats are non-partisan (and they are) perhaps someone should tell the Pachyderm Club. They are the ones putting on the full court press for Brown. They pulled the same stunt in the recent city and school board races. I'm a Republican but have been saddened by the action of the Pachyderm Club members. Lavonta is the clear choice.
If there were a real election for the seat between the two tomorrow, Williams would win in a landslide.
I'm a Republican, I live in the district, and I can count. Lavonta Williams is the clear favorite of the district residents. Only maybe one on four voters in this district are Republicans. Those three council members don't give a damn what the district residents want, they just want that seat for their party, and they can't get it any other way.
Shame on the Eagle for not publishing in-depth profiles of the two finalists. What do we really know about these two women and their positions on the issues?
Lavonta Williams is the right decision for the District. It's too bad the residents of District 1 aren't allowed to vote for their choice of candidate because this would have been over a long time ago.
The only reason this is even close is because of the blatant partisanship of the Republicans and the Pachyderm club. They should be ashamed. This is a Non-Partisan race and NONE of the Republicans holding out for Brown have any ties to District 1. Don't the wishes of the residents count for anything? After all, this person will be OUR representative! Walk around the district and talk to US. Don't just vote the Republican party line because the Pacyderm leadership told you to.
AMEN!!!
It is true that Jeff Longwell asked Treatha Foster during their interview if she supported his opponent during his election. She said yes because she did not really know Longwell and was good friends with Tobia. He is holding now holding that against her. This is why he is supporting Williams. I think it his highly inappropriate to ask that question for the interview. And Longwell needs to get over it. If he holds a grudge against everyone that did not support him, He will not get anything done in city hall.
So what? The other four Republicans are backing Brown just because she's a radical right pro-lifer like themselves.
The only way to believe that Brown is a better match for the district than Williams is to believe that the district's voters are too stupid to know what they want. I've talked to a lot of people these last few days. They don't want Brown. They DO want Williams.
The commenter above has it right. If there were a real election between the two for the seat TODAY, Williams would walk away in a landslide, with the win at two to one or better. The Pachyderms want to cram someone down our throats and control our district the only way they can.
What they're trying to do is force THEIR choice on OUR district.
If Williams is so Independent, why did she seek help from only Democratic legislators? Of course, we already know, "Independent" is usually a cover for Democrat, or at least liberal leanings.
Drag out a map of the state legislative districts, and see which ones are even partially in District One. Duh.
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