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Sandy wants to be your next mayor. See Sandy run. Run
Sandy run. Sandy will run. Why will Sandy run?
Good question. Any good answers? None yet save
for the political pabulum of (get out your crying towels
everyone!), “wanting to carry out her late husband’s
campaign platforms.”
Is that it, you say? Yeah, that is it! Sandy wants to be
mayor to fulfill some nebulous legacy idea that she and only
she can execute upon.
It is as if Sandy was the brooding or hovering savant or
brains behind her late husband’s platform and as such only
she is qualified to sit in the mayor’s chair and fulfill D.
Michael Collins’ vision for the city.
Can anyone see me yawning at this political hubris?
Come on, Sandy…give it a rest! You do not possess any
special insider’s knowledge or have any special political
skills that, unless you are in the mayor’s chair, no one
else but you will be able to transform Toledo in the image
that Mike may have had for the city.
Pull…leeze!
You know, I don’t mind the shameless political
shenanigans of Sandy Drabik changing her name to that of
Sandy Collins since it is designed to get voters to
emotionally link her up with any of Mike’s residual or
lingering charisma.
I even don’t mind the brassiness of Sandy Drabik
Collins even changing her political affiliation from that of
a Republican to that of an independent (that was Mike’s
political label when he won the mayor’s office). Note: Why
can’t or won’t Sandy run as a Republican since her hero is
the former Republican Ohio Governor George Voinovich.
But I do get a severe case of political heartburn when
a wife or a husband want to play coy and run on the
coattails of their deceased spouse as if somehow it is just
the right thing to do.
Sorry to say, but I do not think the City of Toledo is
still grieving over Mike Collins not being in the mayor’s
chair or that the citizens are longing to return to an era
of politics where there is a Collins…even if it is his wife…
in the mayor’s chair.
Don’t think so!
If you examine Mike’s “platform” for Toledo, it was
pretty nondescript and includes the tried and true political
agenda items of (a) a clean and safe city (b) keep the roads
repaired and the garbage picked up on time (c) keep the
water clean (d) attract businesses to Toledo and (e) good
schools and good neighborhoods.
You do not need a “legacy” mayor to spout those sound
bites to a voting populace. Mayor Hicks-Hudson is doing a
commendable job in all of those areas and when one person is
already committed to those tasks, you do not need another
person to jump in and say, “My ice is colder than your ice!”
In the interest of journalistic transparency, I have
devised a questionnaire for Sandy to answer and return back
to me. Below are just a few of those questions and possible
answers.
I want to run for mayor because:
(a) I am bored with my current job.
(b) I like the view from the mayor’s office.
(c) I want a city car to run around in.
My opinion of Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson is:
(a) None. I just want her job.
(b) She is not Mike.
(c) She is not uttering Mike’s name at every city event.
What would I do different as mayor?
(a) Don’t know yet. Haven’t thought it through.
(b) Rename the city, Collinsville.
(c) Have a séance so I could channel Mike’s wisdom to city
council meetings.
What makes you qualified to be mayor?
(a) my name is Collins.
(b) my name is Collins.
(c) did I say that my last name is Collins?
If nothing else, voters of Toledo will have a chance to
examine the engine that makes Sandy run and if she believes
that voters will be starry eyed because her name is Collins;
and she has a secret “mojo” to drastically turn the city
around, there will be some skeptical voters if all she does
is spout what Mike would have done.
Mike’s platform or campaign promises are not forged in
steel and there is no guarantee that a candidate’s platform
promises all come to pass; but to run on a “legacy” gives
the impression that the spouse of the deceased has secret
inside knowledge about Mike and unless the legacy candidate
is voted into office, the City of Toledo voters will never
know what could have been.
Sandy or Sandy Drabik or Sandy Drabik-Collins and now
Sandy Collins…please turn off your political smoke making
machine and give it a rest.
P.S. Everyone, watch out for that perennial political
opportunist, Carty Finkbeiner who is waiting in the wings to
spring out like a Jack-In-The-Box at the opportune time.
Voters need to give him the cold shoulder…now! Carty, then
or now or in the future, will not be a cure all for the
problems of Toledo. Carty also has no secret “mojo” that if
he were elected (does anyone besides me have…“Carty
Fatigue”?) he would be a political superhero.
He is doing what Carty does best: blow a lot of smoke
and hopes that you get high off of it.
Carty knows that if he runs, he will split the vote between
Mayor Hudson and and himself, allowing Sandy Drabik to win.
Don’t play his game.
Contact Lafe Tolliver at
Tolliver@Juno.com
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