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Vote!

gaberollins's picture

You should vote this year anyways but specifically if you live in Worcester. This City Council is a pretty bad one but it all starts with it's leader and that is Mayor Lukes. As I said in the Mayoral Smackdown thread, she is counting on your apathy because she knows she has 7,000 votes without lifting a finger and voter turn out is so pathetic she thinks she can actually win with that! Don't give her what she wants, get out there and vote. Make sure you are registered. Do it soon and vote on November 3rd!

gaberollins's picture

Re: Vote!

Bump (most likely every day until election day)

gaberollins's picture

Re: Vote!

Forgot to bump yesterday.... bump

Louie's picture

Re: Vote!

Oh, Jesus Christ(TM), Gabe. Unless the strong mayor option is on the table, this election will be dog shit.

gaberollins's picture

Re:

Louie wrote:

Oh, Jesus Christ(TM), Gabe. Unless the strong mayor option is on the table, this election will be dog shit.

Wow, you sound like you really should vote.

Keith's picture

Re: Vote!

Anyone know anything about Beshai? He seems to be running on a 'Hey, I'm not Paul Clancy!' platform.

gaberollins's picture

Re:

Keith wrote:

Anyone know anything about Beshai? He seems to be running on a 'Hey, I'm not Paul Clancy!' platform.

He has a mustache!
His signs are blue and white!

Sprout's picture

Re: Vote!

I'm voting for whoever solves my problem.

tnovick's picture

Re: Vote!

tnovick's picture

Re:

Gabe,
Are you going to be at all of them? Be sure and introduce yourself at the School Committee, please!

gaberollins's picture

Re:

tnovick wrote:

http://frankbeshai.com/

Do you support this guy? I am not as anti Frank as I was a couple weeks ago now that NO ONE except Paul Clancy has answered my interviews.

Other than the fact that he isn't Clancy why should I support this guy?

gaberollins's picture

Re:

tnovick wrote:

Gabe,
Are you going to be at all of them? Be sure and introduce yourself at the School Committee, please!

I should go just to check it out. I will introduce myself.

tnovick's picture

Re: Vote!

I'm staying out of the District 3 election :) I just knew he had a website.
Are you in 3?

toeworcester's picture

Re: Vote!

Sprout
I know a shotgun and rocksalt packed shells might be tempting, even to one with a pacifists heart.....ooops...did I say that? I must be hanging around with my 19 yr old son to much.

gaberollins's picture

Re:

tnovick wrote:

I'm staying out of the District 3 election :) I just knew he had a website.
Are you in 3?

D-2! Phil or GTFO!

tnovick's picture

Re: Vote!

Ah, yes...well, no one's opposing Eddy over here in 5, either.

tnovick's picture

Re: register

And the deadline to register is Wednesday, October 14, so if you aren't registered, you need to do it this week!

gaberollins's picture

Re: Vote!

Bump again

4rilla's picture

Re: Vote!

I'll give Grace Ross credit for having an interesting and engaged canvasser show up at the door last weekend.

I've been to some of Haller's D4 meetings at the Main South CDC but have not seen much for results besides a painted basketball court.

scully's picture

Re: Vote!

Vote for Joe O'Brien on November 3!

dan's picture

Re:

scully wrote:

Vote for Joe O'Brien on November 3!

yep... O'Brien for mayor, Ross for D4, and at-large goes to anyone else who will support the single-rate property tax.

gaberollins's picture

Re: Vote!

I am not sure about Joe yet. He was an absolute bizarre freak show at the COC debate. Talking to himself, making all sorts of strange faces and body language when he wasn't talking. I'll have to see him speak publicly again. I like him a lot, but in my opinion the biggest job of the Mayor is to be the face of the city, and I don't want someone who may be perceived as totally nuts. Worcester doesn't need any more perception problems than it already has.

It's between him and Kate Toomey for me. I briefly flirted with voting Emmanuel Titsonabull (and I still will for at large) but it's either Joe or Kate for me.

So:

Toomey or O'Brien for Mayor.
Mickey Mouse for District 2 (if we can get like 7,000 people to vote "anyone but Phil" will that get him out?, are there 7,000 people living in D-2 that will actually vote? am I the only one paying attention in D-2?)

At large:
Kola Akindele (who is amazing)
Bill McCarthy
Emmanuel Titsonagirrafferidingabikedownchandler
either Toomey or O'Brien for at large and
a dead heat between Rushton and Buchalter for the last seat

scully's picture

Re: Vote!

The only crazy thing about Joe is his willingness to put himself through a campaign for mayor.

delnieve's picture

Re: Vote!

As a thought experiment, this morning Buck Paxton and I made the case for an all-challenger slate:

tnovick's picture

Re: Vote!

And for School Committee? Don't neglect that part of the ballot!

tnovick's picture

Re:

You know you can vote for six at large, right?

gaberollins's picture

Re:

tnovick wrote:

You know you can vote for six at large, right?

Six at large AND Mayor?

delnieve's picture

Re: Vote!

IIRC, the mayor is the chair of the council--the mayor is also a councilor.

So you mark your ballot for up to 6 councilors.

Then you can also vote for one of the 4 mayoral candidates.

My memory on this is foggy, but I think every council candidate is by default a mayoral candidate, and that people explicitly withdraw from that race, not enter it.

Hopefully someone who really knows this stuff can fill in details...

scully's picture

Re: Vote!

There are 6 At-Large City Councilors (including the Mayor who must also be elected as an At-Large councilor) and 5 District Councilors. You get to vote for the 6 At-Large spots no matter where you live. So when I vote for Joe O'Brien for Mayor, I'll also have to vote for him as an At-Large Councilor. Theoretically, one could win the mayor's race and not be able to serve if they didn't also secure a seat on the council. If one wanted to vote to keep Konnie on the council (and I have no idea why one would) but not for mayor, that's possible.

Under our strange system At-Large candidates are considered candidates for mayor until such time as they write a letter to the City Clerk's office withdrawing their names from consideration, which was due in September. There will be 4 names in the Mayor box: O'Brien, Lukes, Toomey and Tsitsilianos

gaberollins's picture

Re: Vote!

Louie's picture

Re: Vote!

I'm writing in Brenden Mellican.

scully's picture

Re: Vote!

bump

Louie's picture

Re: Vote!

I'm writing in Brenden Mellican.

tnovick's picture

Re: Vote!

for which?

tnovick's picture

Re:

Nicely explained. The key part is that you must vote for your mayoral candidate of choice for BOTH mayor AND at-large, because, yes, they could lose the mayor's seat if they don't also earn a seat on the Council. (they meaning "he" or "she" here)

gaberollins's picture

Re: Vote!

3 days!

Louie's picture

Re: Vote!

Yesterday and today.....taped calls from Joff Smith wanting his vote.............why am I getting these calls when I am on the do not call list???

watergirl's picture

Re: Vote!

The Do Not Call list has exceptions for non-profits and political candidates (as well as any company you may have done business with which is why Charter can call you every damn week)

delnieve's picture

Re: Vote!

Was talking to a friend this morning who is on the DNC when a robocall came in on his cell: Joe "The Quiet Man" Petty.

gaberollins's picture

Re: Vote!

This shit is today people!

Louie's picture

Re: Vote!

Yes, write in Brenden Melican.

scully's picture

Re: Vote!

GET OUT AND VOTE!

Fanny's picture

Re: Vote!

I DID!


All done with nice.

4rilla's picture

Re: Vote!

I voted all challengers At Large.

Grace Ross for D4

O'brien for mayor

And only picked Novick for School Committee.

watergirl's picture

Re: Vote!

Joe O'Brien it is.

Joe, we're putting a lot of faith in you. Please don't disappoint.

Louie's picture

Re: Vote!

Fucking Barbara Haller again?? What the fuck is wrong with you people??

Emily's picture

Re: Vote!

Woo! We made changes! Go go hair-letting-down-Gen-Xers! Shall we send a mass condolence card to Crabby Lukes? :D Now O'Brien and our new guys just need to deliver. Clancy's still around, but he might change a bit if everyone else does... at least he responds to my emails and phone calls.

gaberollins's picture

Re:

Emily wrote:

Woo! We made changes! Go go hair-letting-down-Gen-Xers! Shall we send a mass condolence card to Crabby Lukes? :D Now O'Brien and our new guys just need to deliver. Clancy's still around, but he might change a bit if everyone else does... at least he responds to my emails and phone calls.

What new guys? O'Brien is the new guy.

dan's picture

Re: Vote!

yeah. I was very happy to see that O'Brien blew Lukes out of the water, but I'm pretty disappointed with who he has to work with on the council. None of my non-mayoral at-large candidates cracked 8% of the vote, and Haller beat out Ross in D4. Hopefully we'll still see some positive things happen to downtown and Main South, but I'm a little worried that it'll be business as usual for the next two years.