The end result was three out of four candidates we supported were victorious, and the only incumbent who retained his seat was the one we supported. By my math, that amounts to an overwhelming and highly successfull victory.

First off, let me thank everyone who supported and encouraged my campaign. Your thoughts, kind words and words of encouragement were all terrific and something I will always remember. Your financial donations were what made my campaign possible and for all of this I will be forever thankful!

As most of you are already aware, I failed in my bid to earn a city council seat. I ended up in fifth place in yesterday’s general election. I was not able to make up the ground necessary to take the fourth spot, but am happy to report I ended up in a solid fifth place, well ahead of incumbents Penny Crissman and Karen Lewis and even further ahead of Tom Mines (incumbent Penny Crissman’s next door neighbor and for all intents and purposes an incumbent himself). Even though I failed to be elected, I won the election and so did the remainder of the Rochester citizens. Here is my take on yesterday’s election results:

Who We Supported

I was part of a group of Rochester citizens who supported a group of four city council candidates: Ben Giovanelli, Jeff Matis, David Becker (incumbent) and myself. We set out on a mission last May to try and upset the firmly entrenched old guard incumbent city council persons, some of who had occupied their council seats for over thirty years. One of those incumbents was knocked out of the race in the August primary. Two of the remaining three incumbents were knocked out yesterday.

The end result was three out of four candidates we supported were victorious, and the only incumbent who retained his seat was the one we supported. By my math, that amounts to an overwhelming and highly successfull victory.

Tomorrow is election day. Having a great turnout is not only critical to the overall election process, it is even more critical to the non-incumbent candidates.

If you are a supporter of mine or a supporter of any of the candidates looking to cut taxes while increasing the efficiency of city services, it is imperative that you get out and vote. The polls open at 07:00am on Tuesday and remain open until 8:00pm.

Like Nike says: “Just do it!”

I was very pleased to receive an endorsement from the Oakland Press for my candidacy in the Rochester city council election. When I met with them in September I was pleased with how the interview went and thought that I was able to express my passion and views to them quite well.

My thanks to the editors at the Oakland Press. If elected, I will do my best to confirm their endorsement and to work hard for the city taxpayers.

However, endorsements do not win elections. Votes do. Once again I thank each of my supporters and encourage you to get out and vote on Tuesday, November 6th. I also encourage you to pass on your candidate preferences to others and encourage them to exercise the power of the ballot as well!

On October 22, 2007 the Rochester City Council approved the selection of Police Chief Steven J. Schettenhelm as the chief of the Rochester Police Department.

I hear nothing but the best about newly appointed Chief Steven J. Schettenhelm. His fellow officers speak highly of him, his neighbors speak highly of him, City Manager Ken Johnson speaks highly of him and the City Council speaks highly of him.

The community is a better place today than it was yesterday. I look forward to the new direction that Chief Schettenhelm can lead the police department.

Three weeks until election day. The long summer and early fall are drawing to a close and it won’t be long before we all know who your new city council persons are.

Encourage Others to Vote

I have spent a lot of money (your money, by way of donations) and knocked on a lot of doors this summer and fall, and have enjoyed meeting each of you. If you are a supporter of mine and intend to vote for me in November, I thank you in advance for honoring me with this distinction.

I would like to ask two more favors of you, however. During the next three weeks, please find it within yourself to find a voter who does not normally vote and encourage them to do so. It’s really important that people participate in the process. In addition, please pass on your endorsement of me to other family members or friends and encourage them to cast a ballot for me on November 6th. This election will probably be won or lost by only a handful of votes, so your efforts may very well have an impact on the outcome.

Let’s make the 2007 election one of the largest turnouts in city history!

The incumbent council persons have failed in their duty to the residents. Don’t be fooled by their posturing for votes or their apparent concern for immediate results. They dropped the ball on this issue.

The issue surrounding the adverse impact the DPW operation is having on the residents of the North Hill subdivision has been topical for years. And years. And years. The current controversy over the possibility of moving the leaf composting component of the operation has become topical because of a recent push by the North Hill homeowners to have some resolution to their problem - after asking for help for years. With the election only three weeks away, to nobody’s surprise we are witnessing council members posturing, positioning and demanding quick action to resolve the problem.

Is the issue important? Yes. Do the decisions the council make have the potential to impact hundreds of residents? Yes! Is the current city council to blame for essentially refusing to address these concerns for years? Yes!