How To Vote November 6?
Received my ballot for the upcoming local elections in the mail yesterday. I'm not quite sure how I'll be voting in this election, assuming I vote at all, but I'll hold off on sending my ballot in until I can see if any more info on the issues and candidates emerges.
As I mentioned here not long ago, there's only two races going on this time: County Board of Education and College of the Redwoods Trustee. I only know a little about two of the candidates and none have chosen to add any info about themselves to the League of Women Voters Smartvoter page at the time of this writing.
Jake Pickering, as we all know, is running for a seat on the County Board of Education. I suspect he's the one who made comments in regards himself and that race back on the Speaking of Elections...thread of October 7. The 7:48 comment is classic Pickering.
Richard "Dick" Twiddy is someone I actually kinda know from way back. He used to work for PG&E at the Humboldt Bay Power Plant when I was a guard there. Recently he's got his name out there by being one of the members of the Humboldt Taxpayer's League who supported the lawsuit against the Eureka Redevelopment Agency in regards the Golden/ Vellutini project on the Eureka waterfront. He's also had a number of letters to the editor published on various issues.
Aside from the personalities, I'm wondering just what issues apply to these two particular races? While we can be assured Jake Pickering will make this a Left vs. Right thing, there must be some nuts and bolts issues they'd be dealing with as either a board member or trustee.
Anyone have any insights on the candidates and/ or issues involved in these races?
posted by Fred Mangels @ 8:57 AM
27 comments
27 Comments:
I heard Jake Pickering supports giving the local teachers a pay raise. That's reason enough to vote for Pickering in my opinion.
When in doubt vote Republican !
Maybe the incumbent does, too. I don't know.
I suspect that Pickering supports giving all governments workers a pay raise, especially being one himself.
Just write yourself in Fred.Or just write in nobody.
The Republican incumbent Pickering is challenging is Sharon Omey who is a realtor. Just say no to realtors. I don't care what you think of Jake Pickering, Fred. Or if he does work for the government. I will not vote for a realtor. Not now and not ever.
When you are voting for a school board, you do not want a nutcase. It;s not a falmboyant position, it's often dull and boring, but it is important. If you've read Pickering's rants you know hew is NOT good school board material.
I'm not sure that anyone who is very far to the right or left, politically, would make a good school board member.
You need someone who's going to deal with the nuts and bolts aspect of running the schools. Not someone who sees everything as a plot by those on the other side of the political spectrum.
Oh, I guess I should have also said, someone who can deal with all kinds of different people with all kinds of different viewpoints.
What district is it that he is running for - it's not county wide? Those ballots ouoght to come with a warning label.
I would like to meet Jake Pickering. Even if I don't always agree with him, I have to say he is a feisty letter writer. I have also heard him on liberal talk radio.
Rose, you may have a point and then again as you say it is some what a boring job--and he may put some life into the board...
I worked with Richard Twiddy when he helped out on Flemming's campaign for a while. Nice guy and maybe a bright light--I wish him well...
I talked to Robin Marks the other day, she is so ready to give it a run--I also wish her well. She also has a cool campaign sign designed by non other than Shane--love that color purple....
You don't need someone to liven up a school board, unless they are going to be recommending improvements in the education that kids receive, things like keeping accreditation (for a high school or college). You don't need someone who wants a position to use as a soapbox or a megaphone. Nor do you need someone who is as partisan as Pickering messing with other people's kids.
This is serious, it's not part of the political games.
Jake was just on Thank Jah Its Friday on KMUD and announced his candidacy.
I guess that means Jake is not running against Mike Thompson?
Does running and/ or sitting on the BOE disqualify one for running against congress?
Get serious. Carol, you have kids in school, right? You know how important this is. Some places should be a refuge from political crap.
Was Sharon Omey a commentator for KINS community voices segment?
Actually, I am with you on this, Rose. Did you read my rebuttal letter a couple of months ago?
Yes, and would love to read it again. For all our differences, we are probably not as far apart as you think - and it's good to be on the same page here.
Here is Jake's Letter:
U.S. Rep. Thompson — a 'Democrat' 'only Joe Lieberman could love'
6/10/2007
Dear Editor,
On May 31 the Times-Standard reported that the North Coast’s do-nothing, Republican-lite U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson “has embarked on a five-day intelligence oversight trip to the United Kingdom and Sweden. ... The purpose, according to his office, is to examine the growth of religious extremism ... .”
Thompson — founder of the conservative Blue Dog caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives — is not only bankrolling his political campaigns with obscene amounts of blood money from the military-industrial complex, including criminal corporations like Lockheed Martin, but now U.S. Rep. Thompson is taking free European vacations at taxpayers’ expense! Tom Delay would be proud.
Why does the insincere U.S. Rep.Thompson continue his charade of pretending to be a Democrat?
Ironically, Thompson makes the meaningless claim that “strong intelligence is our best weapon for fighting terrorism.” No wonder the United States is losing this colonial conflict, with self-serving “geniuses” like George W. Bush and Mike Thompson calling the shots.
In the future, if Thompson would like another free vacation courtesy of the American taxpayers “to examine the growth of religious extremism,” I suggest we save some of our tax dollars by sending him to an extreme religious destination closer to home, like James Dobson’s Colorado Springs, Colo., or Jerry Falwell’s Lynchburg, Va.
Being a self-styled, conservative Blue Dog “Democrat,” Thompson would be much more at home in a locale like Lynchburg, Va., than he is here in Northern California anyway. And, furthermore, why would North Coast Democrats continue to accept Thompson as their so-called representative, when he is clearly aligned more closely with the Republican Party than he is with local Democrats?
Please don’t run for office again, Thompson — you are a “Democrat” that only Joe Lieberman could love.
Jake Pickering
Eureka
And here is my rebuttal:
The misinformation about Representative Mike Thompson in a recent letter-to-the editor by Eureka resident Jake Pickering needs to be addressed. Pickering incorrectly wrote that Congressman Thompson is the “founder of the Blue Dog Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives”. The Blue Dog Democrats was formed in the 104th Congress which met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1995 to January 3, 1997. Thompson was first elected to represent California’s 1st Congressional District in 1998 at which time he joined the Blue Dog Democrats due to his concern for the budget and the national debt. The Blue Dogs are a coalition of like-minded Democrats whose primary mission is to promote fiscally responsible budget reforms and accountability for taxpayer dollars. At this writing (6/12/07) the current National Debt Clock is: $8,914,445,128,862.43 and your share is $29,650.83. A top priority for the group is to refocus Congress on truly balancing the budget and ridding taxpayers of the burden the national debt places on them.
Representative Thompson is a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he serves as Chair of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence. The purpose of Representative Thompson’s trip to Europe was to examine the growth of religious extremism in Europe and the threat that this trend poses to the U.S. and our allies. Thompson, a Vietnam combat veteran, also spent a day with wounded soldiers at the Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.
Carol Ann Conners
Ah, Jake Pickering: The Great Uniter. Finally, Rose & Carol find someone they can both disagree with.
Pretty significant accomplishment, eh?
Cole Machado is crazy
This election has a more than one person running for whatever position is on the ballot. Pickering wants a political position (why he is choosing a non-partisan one is beyond me). He does not belong on the Board of Education.
Machado wants to add another title to "President and CEO" of what, I'm not sure. Every website for his "companies" has expired. This kid is grasping at straws - he has tons of "networking" websites and at least two pyramid schemes going. Does anyone else think he never actually went to BYU? And that at 21 years old, the only way he is making $250,000 a year in Humboldt is if he's growing it?
Fred wrote:
"I'm not sure that anyone who is very far to the right or left, politically, would make a good school board member."
Left and right don't matter as much as being thoughtful and committed to doing what's in the best interests of the students. For instance, I'm fairly progressive on most issues, but I work well with my fellow board member Sarie Toste (who is a lot more conservative) because I respect her and I know that even when we disagree she is doing what she thinks is best. She shows me the same respect.
Fred also wrote:
"Oh, I guess I should have also said, someone who can deal with all kinds of different people with all kinds of different viewpoints."
This is a good point. This is one of the most important qualities. It's something that Pickering doesn't seem to have. That's not an endorsement for his opponent, but it's not an endorsement for him either.
He just keeps running for things. Frankly, I don't think he puts much thought into it. Obviously I don't have a problem with someone being left-wing, but I do have a problem with someone that just wants to run for office and doesn't bother to learn much about the issues.
I found a bunch of Pickering's rantings posted together at Humboldt County Board of Education Trustee Area Three Governing Board Member but there is hardly any info on his opponent. I wish we knew more. There's more information for the candidates for CR Board Member at Redwoods Community College District Trustee Area Four Governing Board Member
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