OPED: Wiechman impresses Ward 4 voter

Submitted by: Thomas Randle, Ward 4 resident

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Citizens Partnership Project, which was hosted by Dave Wiechman, a candidate for City Council Ward 4.

I originally expected this to be a simple drive for votes, but what I saw was much more.  Usually, these types of candidate meetings consist of the city council hopeful sitting back and letting the citizens tell them what they want, and the politician nodding and agreeing with what each citizen says, regardless of any contradiction.

At the Citizens Partnership Project, the citizens discussed their concerns, and in turn other citizens came up with solutions.  Dave used this to show the importance of allowing citizens to be involved in the decision making process, since they can come up with ideas that may be better than some city councilors.

Questions were then asked of him, about where he stood on many of the city’s issues.  He was very explicit in his answers and kept from political pandering. This is something I have not seen from other candidates in this year’s city council race.

This meeting was the last in a series of events leading me to a final decision on who I will support for city council.

I have studied the candidate profiles, looked back on my own encounters with each candidate, and even met in person with each candidate in an attempt to learn more about their positions on important issues. After considering all of these issues, and seeing what the two candidates have done to help the city, or simply promote their political capital, I have decided to support Dave Wiechman.

Dave has a clear devotion to campaign transparency as evidenced by his website and his support of my suggestion to report financial donations and expenditures earlier in the campaign season.  He has proven his commitment to our city and shown that he is not a career politician by his personal history working on city issues as a volunteer and activist for the last few decades.

Most importantly, everyone knows where Dave stands on important issues that have affected our city over the last 10 years.  This is in contrast to his opponent, of whose positions I have been unable to ascertain.  He has worked hard to forge compromise on these issues to find the best solution, even at the expense of support from some special interest groups.  On the one issue where we were on opposite sides, Dave did propose a compromise that would have accommodated some of my concerns.

Dave takes the time to speak with average citizens as evidenced by the fact that he answered my own questionnaire and his opponent did not.

I noticed he did not use Lakewood on Parade, an event to promote citizen community, as an opportunity to promote his campaign.  All of these issues show sharp contrast between Dave and his opponent.

With current events unraveling and the economic future of our nation, state, and city uncertain, I believe that Dave is the best candidate in Ward 4 to lead us through the tough times.  His proven commitment to the city, to citizens, and to transparency of a financial and political nature, show that he will outshine any opponent in every aspect of being Ward 4’s new city councilor.