Random comments, questions on several Scott County municipal races, and other asides.
We love this gif — pretty much describes our writing process
Bettendorf Alderman at Large Race The candidate who was the registered Republican Chad Miller, received only about 26% of the vote. He had a stated city philosophy that was just plain solid Republican: “The City is borrowing to complete recreational trails and other “want” projects. That money should be used for necessities.” Yet did he receive even token support from the Republican personages in that Republican city? Wasn’t “vote Republican” the message of import from the Scott County Republican Central Committee publishing who the Republican candidates were in the municipal races? No that was here, but they sort of hinted at it. Apparently their efforts were as ineffectual as we thought they would be judging by the results from Republican Bettendorf.
The winner, Gary Mohr is on the Board of the Riverboat Development Authority (RDA) which doles out a lot of money from gambling proceeds, and is Director of External Communications for Eastern Iowa Community College. You can kind of figure the fix is in with those kind of connections. A lot of people connected to a lot of favorite son charities have fed at the RDA trough so that connection presents quite a calling card. Lots of opportunity for building good will.
Aside Out of curiosity we checked the RDA’s dollars by organizations report. Ironies abound. Ballet Quad Cities has receive a total of $363, 000 over the years. Bethany for Children and Families $358, 000. We would tend to let ticket prices support the ballet and directed donations, not using a slice of some social security recipient’s slot machine budget. We think most of them would agree.
Church related organizations have received easily over $2,000,000 over the years . . . and so who is ever going to oppose what amounts to, arguably, a tax on the lowest income people . . . this generator of addictions and welfare dependency . . . this aggravator of the very circumstances that charities create ministries to alleviate? The churches? We have spent a very few dollars on the “boats” over the years, but then we are entirely jaded having been in politics for so long. It does open your eyes about the institutionalization of things once thought anathema.
Dear RDA: May we humbly suggest a big grant to Hope Creek Nursing Home ASAP, a million would be nice. Or are they considered competition because they sponsor a bingo game now and then for its incapacitated residents?
Anyway back to the races:
Blue Grass Mayoral:
One vote makes a difference. Timothy Brandenburg, a retired Davenport cop who has a “No Party” registration came two votes short of retiring the current Democrat identified mayor. We endorsed Brandenburg in these pages but wish we had made a few phone calls as well. Discernment or political subtlety not being a high within the SCRP processes, they were of no help in almost unseating incumbent Democrat Kinzer, a well known Democrat name.
Davenport City Council Races:
Scanning the fund raising reports, we note that the McNamara real-estate band spread their largess around in a non-partisan manner. From McNamara related persons or entities Jason Gordon received $500; Ray Ambrose $500; Shielia Burrage $500 and Bill Gluba $1000.
Iowa Growth PAC is an entity associated with the Quad Cities Chamber (of Commerce). That doesn’t cut much with us as they are pretty much just another feeder at the public trough in this area. A couple grand spent in PAC money gets you a shot at hundreds of thousands maybe millions from the public purse for favored member projects. They gave to Jason Gordon and Gene Meeker $500 and $750 respectively, and Kerri Tompkins must have really impressed them, she received $1000.
Aminell and Amrit Gill from St. Louis (Hotel Black Hawk) gave $500 to Meeker, Gordon and Ambrose.
Then there is the Scott County Republican Central Committee. We are not aware of any disclosed criteria for giving in non-partisan municipal elections or any budget passed by the SCRCC for giving to one Republican running against another. What are the Republican principles being pushed to differentiate the candidates? What were the elements of need or electability or tightness of the race? They must exist but all we know is that Kerri Tompkins got $600 and Jason Gordon $500. Were there some festering grudges or some favorite sons or daughters being nursed affecting the decisions? Who knows, but we suspect yes.
Gordon was one of three Republicans running for Alderman at Large. The Republicans were in competition for two positions along with a Dem who also wanted it. The selective donation was the equivalent of picking between Republicans for the same race. If that is OK in this circumstance then why is picking between Republicans not OK in a primary? The same justifications would be involved. And the At Large and 8th Ward races were not the only opposed races in Scott County with Republicans involved.
Beyond that issue, we note there was no time or money to unseat a Democrat in Blue Grass with a more conservative candidate, thus fostering an upset, but there was time and money for inquisitions to pick between three Republicans in Davenport while avoiding substantive platform issues. Go figure. R Mall
