My Recommendations in the May 3 Primary

At this moment, most minds are made up. Some have already voted early, either in-person or by mailed ballot. Those will be counted tomorrow along with everyone else’s votes.

The biggest decision most people have is whether to vote at all. I believe this is an important election and the more people who are involved in making the decisions, the better. I’m certain that my voters know that, so a low turnout actually works to my benefit. But everyone who can should take the time to vote between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Don’t be intimidated by campaigners outside, either. Go inside, sign in, and make your will known.

For those who are still undecided, I offer my recommendations in the following races:

City Council At-Large

Because the choices are so stark and clear, I will be casting all 3 of my allowed votes in the at-large race, in hopes of preventing the “accidental” nomination of some other candidates who would not bring the necessary abilities to the council table.

John Gonder is the only Democrat seeking re-election for this office. He has been a Hall-of-Fame-caliber representative of all the people in this city and has worked effectively on the margins to keep things sane. John gets along with everyone and is a true leader. Don’t be surprised if he becomes our mayor someday. I urge you to vote for John Gonder on May 3.

Roger Baylor has demonstrated his ability to weigh the issues. I value his judgment and believe he, too, is deserving of your vote.

I consider John and Roger to be 2 of my best friends and would ordinarily be tempted to stop voting at 2. But Brad Bell, though young, has demonstrated a keen capacity for learning and adapting and has run a strong campaign. I will be voting for Brad and encourage you to do the same.

3rd District

If ever there were an easy choice, it is for Greg Phipps. My business interests lie in his district and I have worked with Greg over the years. He is far and away the best-qualified candidate in a race where the incumbent is not only unacceptable, but truly harmful to this city’s interests.

Theresa Timberlake is the only candidate in the 1st District who has not disqualified herself with grossly inappropriate behavior. More people in the 1st District cast votes for Mrs. Timberlake in 2007 and I wish her well in th 2011 primary. The other choices would be disastrous for this city.

Messrs. Baylor and Bell have also given me their endorsements, for which I am grateful.

By challenging an incumbent, and by also declaring my dissatisfaction with the status quo, I have challenged the establishment. That makes it understandable that I have not received the support of nor aligned myself with any of the other candidates. That is as it should be. Accordingly, I feel no compulsion to make recommendations in the other races except to say it’s time to put an end to business as usual and to vote for candidates who will bring change with integrity to city offices.

And to be completely honest, others who might have gained my support and my vote do not share my views and would not appreciate my endorsement.

Please don’t think your vote doesn’t matter. The primaries are where the decisions are made. If you skip the primary, don’t be shocked when you don’t have acceptable choices in November.

We Know Who You Are

When arrested, 5th District council member Diane McCartin Benedetti was reported to have said “Do you KNOW who I am?” Yes, ma’am. We think we do. And you do not share our values. In fact, we are insulted that you would campaign on that basis.

We know that she has no respect for the oh-so-American principle of “one-person, one vote,” because she has continuously refused to draw equal council voting districts as the law and the Constitution require. Equal representation is a value we in the 5th District honor – but our incumbent council representative does not.

We know that she does not share the 5th District’s values when it comes to the equitable allocation of tax funds. She would rather take the city’s income taxes and divert them to the pocketbooks of people who don’t even pay income taxes into this city. Diane McCartin Benedetti does not share our values.

We know that when it comes to preserving the historic legacy of our city, Diane McCartin Benedetti sides with the slumlords. Why else would she be the leading proponent for gutting our Historical Preservation Commission?

Since this is the Democratic Party primary coming up, we ought to know if she shares the values of Democrats in her district. At her most recently attended city council meeting, she fought back against a resolution to retain local, democratic government, going so far as to say that Ron Grooms and Ed Clere, both Republicans, were “fighting” for our cities. Diane, are you in fact a Democrat?

We know that Diane thinks it’s just fine to drive around with Ohio license plates, ensuring that the vehicle taxes for her personal luxury transportation are paid to a neighboring state. That’s certainly not a 5th District value.

Mrs. Benedetti doesn’t believe that debating and arguing for her own brother’s development project (one that was heartily opposed by the voters in her district) is inappropriate. The voters of the 5th District don’t share that “value,” either.

In light of all of the above, we wonder if Diane McCartin Benedetti believes that she is subject to any laws whatsoever?  No candidate should be allowed to use “dog whistle” words like “values” when it is clear that she does not share our values.

Tuesday’s election is going to be a critical one that decides the direction of this city for years to come. I urge all of my friends to reach out to the voters of New Albany’s 5th council district and encourage them to get out and vote. With rain expected, the people with values will be voting. I hope that’s a value we all can agree on.

Appropriately, the “debate” held Friday, April 22, at Indiana University Southeast was collegial and informative. Randy was one of 9 candidates participating in the event, which was hosted by the IU Southeast College Democrats and recorded for Internet viewing by the university’s journalism department and the campus newspaper, The Horizon.

A live stream recording of the event is available here.

Also participating were at-large council candidates John Gonder, Roger Baylor, Brad Bell, Doug England, and Shirley Baird. Also attending were Bob Caesar (D-2), Greg Phipps (D-3), and Suellen Wilkinson (D-6).

The questioners were IU Southeast adjunct professor Greg Gapsis, non-profit manager John Miller, and Chris Morris, assistant editor of The News and Tribune.

Randy Smith for New Albany thanks the College Democrats for hosting this important event and believes the exchanges showed how a currently dysfunctional council can be transformed. We encourage you to view the debate if you remain uncertain about your election choices in the May 3 Democratic Party primary.