I actually got a letter published

From the Argus Leader;

The upcoming Sioux Falls municipal election is important. But I’m not writing this letter to encourage you to vote for a certain candidate. There will be plenty of those suggestions from friends and relatives of the candidates. I’m writing this to encourage you to get informed and vote on April 13.

So what is the most important thing to do first? Register to vote. Today. If you are unsure about party affiliation, register independent. The municipal election does not have primaries, so your party affiliation is moot.

Remember, we will be voting in a mayor and four new councilors. At the least you will be voting for the mayor and the two at-large council seats.

Before researching the candidates, keep in mind that our next mayor and city councilors basically make decisions based on taxes/fees, budgets, city ordinances, infrastructure, code enforcement and customer service to citizens.

This isn’t about education, abortion, religion, gun rights or whether they were born in Kenya or Hawaii. This is important to keep in mind. It makes your decision process easier when you don’t cloud it with fringe issues, especially when the candidates want to talk about quality of life, rainbows and butterflies.

So remember, hiring a city councilor or mayor is like hiring a good accountant. It doesn’t matter if they are a Packers fan, just as long as they can handle your finances fairly, listen to your concerns and do it in a professional manner.

So where to begin?

First, ignore any and all advertising and testimonials directly from the candidates and their minions. As a person who has worked in advertising for almost 20 years, I can tell you this: It’s not all truthful.

The first place to start is reading candidates’ financial reports, which are listed online at www.siouxfalls.org/Council/Cityclerk/election_ information/2010_election. Investigate who is donating to the campaigns and do a Google search of those donors. Are they influential businessmen and women in the community, or are they community advocates? I can’t tell you whether to look on these associations as positive or negative, but I can tell you it is a good starting point.

ext, make a list of things you have concerns about in our community. Also, make a list of things you like about Sioux Falls. From that list, create questions you would ask candidates.

Finally, don’t wait for watered-down forums to meet and get to know the candidates. Get out your list of questions and either e-mail them or call and ask them the questions yourself.

Don’t be hornswoggled. Create a point system with your questions. If you like the way a candidate answered your question, give that person a 5. If you don’t like the answer, give the candidate a 1 and so forth.

Politicians are good at telling you what you want to hear, so if they can’t answer a simple yes-or-no question with a yes-or-no answer, they most likely have something to hide. Finally, after tallying the results, share them with friends and family and have a discussion about it. Debate among your peers is the best way to clean up the remaining cobwebs.

I cannot stress enough that this is an important municipal election. The country and Sioux Falls are struggling to pull out of a deep recession, and the people who will be holding the city’s purse strings literally will change overnight.

I encourage you to register, inform yourself and vote in the April 13 municipal election.