Check out my website changes

I'll be officially sworn in on December 10 at the regular Board of Aldermen meeting at 7:30 PM at City Hall.  The first portion of the meeting will be the old board doing old business.

Be sure to come to the meeting and express your opinion on the plan for Ft. Johnston!

A typical Southport sunset

Alderman Paul Fisher wants the outgoing board to adopt the so-called "plan" for Ft. Johnston that is really not a plan.  It is the portion of the original application the city made back in 2006 in order to acquire the property from the National Park Service.  This document, entitled "Justification for Acquiring Property" was never intended to be a solid plan for Ft. Johnston.  The plan was to be formulated by a committee composed of citizens and aldermen.  But the committee never met because the aldermen members decided that public input was not needed and they proceeded to spend $10,000 of taxpayer money to purchase furniture for the Garrison House that is totally not of a style that fits in this historic building.  The "plan" also includes several items that many citizens do not want.  That makes sense because the "plan" was written by a few aldermen with no public input.

I would like to see the incoming board instruct the Ft. Johnston Committee to hold public hearings and formulate a plan that does meet the approval of our citizens.  There is information the committee is seeking (estimates for remodeling the Garrison House into various configurations) that is essential before a plan can be drafted.  Rushing to approve the old "plan" when it is clearly outdated and ill conceived is not in the best interests of Southport and I encourage you to attend the meeting and express your feelings during the public comments section.

Anyway, I've made some changes to my website so it can be used as a communication and information vehicle between city government and the people.  Please check it out and utilize the added features.  Of particular importance is my e-mail newsletter list which I'll send out on a regular basis.  It will include all notices of public meetings, the Board of Aldermen meeting agenda each month, and other information all interested citizens should know.

Opening our city government to the public it serves was one of my key campaign promises.  My website will be one way you can stay in touch.

Just as a reminder, my website is www.ken4alderman.com

All the best and hope to see you soon.

I'm finally fully recovered

It has taken me a full 2 weeks to get my head around the fact that I am Alderman-elect for the City of Southport.  Election day was filled with turbulent emotions.  Sally and I arrived at the polls at 6:15 AM only to find that the other candidates had already put up their signs the night before.  We managed to locate a few spots for some signs that were visible to passing cars and those walking up to the polls.

There was a do-not-cross line of yellow tape (like they use at crime scenes--irony intended) beyond which no electioneering was allowed.  It seemed to be variably enforced as some (like me) were scolded for crossing it a time or two to greet someone while others (even some candidates) could walk into the polling place covered in campaign buttons and stickers.  This didn't really bother me as I assumed folks had pretty much made up their minds well before showing up at the polls.  I wasn't really sure why so many people spent the day in front of the polls, but it seemed like a traditional ritual for candidates so I played along.  My activity was restricted to greeting people I knew or had visited during my canvassing of the city.  No arm twisting, no handouts, no campaign rhetoric.  It was just a great time to be sociable and meet new people.

Probably one of the best things about the election day ritual was being able to meet and chat with all the other candidates.  It eased the tension and allowed for a friendly exchange of ideas and everyday chit chat.  By the time the polls closed at 7:30 PM I was ready for milk, cookies and a nice nap.  But the most exciting moments were still ahead of us.  We all went inside the polling station and gathered in one corner as the election workers counted the votes.  I was at Ward 1 and Sally was stationed at Ward 2.  My nervous system was in tatters. The culmination of 4 months of incredibly hard work would come down to a set of numbers read by the precinct manager.  I could barely bear it, so I sat on the hard linoleum floor, legs crossed, head down with my eyes closed.  If I had an empty paper coffee cup with me folks would have put spare change in it.

At around 8:38 PM I received a call from Sally.  Ward 2 results had come in and her first words through the cell phone were, "It's bad," followed by a long pause.  By this time I was ready for it to be over, win lose or draw.  She dutifully recited the numbers to me.  I was in third place, but on the basis of what I was expecting from Ward 2 I didn't think it was so bad. I told her to come over to Ward 1 and we could cry together.  For the next 10 minutes I went over in my mind how I was going to continue to be an advocate for the issues I raised in the campaign.  I also assessed my chances in the next election and what I might do differently.

Sally ran into the Ward 1 polling station just as the precinct manager was about to read the totals.  I don't remember drawing a breath for the several minutes it took her to announce the final tally.  When it came to the Ward 1 Alderman results I carefully wrote down the numbers.  I had the most votes, but now it became a math problem.  We had to add the totals from Ward 2 and reach a grand total.

Neither Sally or I could remember how to add.  I was using the back of a business card to make notes.  If I was expected to carry out a complex mental process like addition I needed more space.  Sally handed me the back of someone else's campaign flyer and I commenced to calculating.  My first effort was thwarted because I could not read the numbers I had written down.  After a few minutes of decifering my hyeroglyphics I entered the mathematical phase and finally arrived at a total.  It was a dead heat for first place between me and Mary Ellen Poole (my idealogical compatriot).  The next person was enough votes back that the absentees and early voting would not change the result.  There were 2 seats to be filled, and my big fat behind was going to be sitting in one of them.

I checked my math several times, rechecked the totals from the voting machine print-out, asked other people what they came up with, then checked my math again.  That night I went to every website covering our election to check their numbers.  Although I was practically paralyzed by exhaustion, I slept very little on Tuesday night.

When I woke up on Wednesday I checked both the Wilmington Star News and the State Port Pilot. I double checked the county Board of Elections website. All the totals seemed to confirm that I would be extremely busy over the next 4 years as a first term Alderman.

Immediately I knew what I had to do:  pick up all the signs we placed throughout the city.  Yesterday they were political marketing.  Today they're litter.  I gulped a double espresso and began my first duty as an Alderman.  By 1:00 PM all the signs were off the streets and stacked in my front yard.

Now the truly hard work begins.  I can't wait!

Critical Vote On Tuesday

You're probably tired of hearing that a particular election is critical, but the fact is just about every election (local, state or federal) is important.  It is the only time when the citizens themselves can directly effect change in their government.  Since local government has the most direct impact on our lives, and this is a local election, all signs point towards getting your tail to the polls tomorrow.

Southport, as most residents will tell you, has been run by a small but influential group that feels general public input is both annoying and unnecessary.  Their decisions have been in the best interests of someone, but not the citizens of Southport.  The result has been too much secrecy, too much money being spent on the wrong things, and far too much arrogance on the part of the ruling class.

I'm confident that will change after tomorrow's vote is in.  Things did improve 2 years ago when a mayor and 3 aldermen replaced longstanding incumbents.  Unfortunately, since 3 other longstanding incumbents were still on the board (and one of the new members joined that group) the result was a board so divided that very little could be accomplished.  If this election can bring in 2 free thinking, open minded individuals to the board I believe they will be able to work with the existing members to create a body that will be able to discuss issues openly and make decisions that are in alignment with the desires of our citizens.  If this does not take place, it will be business as usual.

As I've emphasized many times we do not need 6 board members and a mayor who all agree on everything.  We need creative thinkers who are willing to listen to the public, fellow aldermen, city staff and any other advisors the city may designate.  Once the listening is done they must discuss all potential decisions in a free and open format wherein each alderman and the mayor can express his/her ideas without being ridiculed, personally attacked or dismissed.  It may take longer than the old way of doing things but the result will be the best possible decision that can be made given the information at that time.  If more information is needed, the board must show patience so that no stone is left unturned.

I hope this all makes sense, because it sure isn't how things have been done in Southport up to this point.  Please know as much as you possibly can about the candidates before you vote, be absolutely sure they do not have a hidden agenda, and go to the polls with the confidence that you've made the best choice.  By Wednesday morning we'll know whether there's hope for the city government of Southport.