The Town Hall Archives

Jared · Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2003 7:49 pm Post subject: Mayoral Debates '03

Welcome to the Town Hall's second mayoral debate... the debate of the summer '03 election cycle!

The debate will begin soon. For now, those with questions to be asked in the debate should submit them via private message to Josiah, who will be serving as debate moderator. By the way, I have no objections to candidates submitting questions as well. They would, like all questions, be asked of all candidates, including the one who submitted the question. Josiah will ask your most hard-hitting questions, such as, to provide a few examples [none real]:

"What effect will Marbury vs Madison have on your time of service as mayor, if any and presuming election?" -- Jared Walczak

"Do you have a cat?" -- pianokitty

"What would you do to enforce courtship?" -- Hawkeye

"As mayor, would you reinstate the Blue Laws and move them one day backward?" -- Gimp

"How many hours per week will you set aside for city-sponsored wrestling?" -- TTC

"If elected, would you set aside August 24th as Linus Torvalds Day?" -- Hawkeye

"Could this debate be scratched and turned into a candidate brawl?" -- TTC

"Is your campaign properly reporting monetary gains under the bipartisan campaign finance reform bill?" -- Jared Walczak

"If you become mayor, will you elevate my bad guy status?" -- Bennett Charles

... and other such pressing questions for the candidates. So, submit your debate questions to Josiah today!

NOTE TO FERDER: You have yet to accept the debate invitation. This has been brought to the attention of your campaign manager, who made no effort to insure involvement. Will you be participating?

-Mellow boy · Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2003 9:14 pm Post subject:

ferder says we will Smile

Jared · Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2003 10:27 pm Post subject:

"We" will? I'm beginning to forget who the candidate is here... you or Ferder.

His name is on the ticket, but you are the one who seems to field all the questions and actually run for office...

Ferder- · Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:43 pm Post subject:

I think Mellow made a typo and meant to say "Ferder says he will" Actually the reason for what you said Jared is because Mellow is on here quite often and I am usualy in the room with him so I just tell him what to say sometimes concerning my campaign.

Josiah · Guest

Sadly, I have yet to receive ONE question...

Send them in, folks!

Since no one else is participating, I'll pose a question of my own:

Why are you running for mayor?

UPDATE: Anna K submitted this question:

What plans do you have for the town of Odyssey if you are elected as mayor?

Jared · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2003 12:30 pm Post subject: Why I Am Running For Mayor

My answer to why I am running for mayor:

I am running for mayor because per the constitution, I cannot run for president. Some thing about achieving a certain age and such. Also, you need supporters.

And one's own CD song collection doesn't hurt, but lacking anything memorable, such as cow valves, to have sung about me, that was scratched.

So, with the other option gone, I focused my attention on being mayor of Odyssey. It may not warrant a trumpet rendition of "Hail to the Chief," but it shall have to suffice.

Being more serious about the matter at hand: I am running because I believe that I have something to contribute to the Town Hall. My opponents and I have some disagreements about what the job actually entails, with some taking the minimalistic view that the mayor is elected simply to head up the Town of Odyssey board, keeping watch over the shops and essentially doing nothing. I am hardly a proponent of big government, but as the first mayor at the Town Hall, I believe that, for better or worse -- your vote is in some way a referendum on whether this be positive or negative -- I have expanded the office past that basic definition.

To me, the office of mayor entails a duty to promote, preserve and enhance the Town Hall, to come to the assistance of members who are having trouble, to serve as a go-to person on board-related issues and to be involved in the day-to-day operation of that board.

As I stated, I am far from a proponent of government largess, but an infinitesimal form of government is a poor road to follow as well. Consider the case of Peyton Randolph, the first president of the United States. Consider now this strange case: you have probably never heard of him even though he served as the first president of a nation from which many of you hail. Mr. Randolph, like others to follow such as Henry Middleton, Henry Laurens, Thomas McKean, John Hanson, Elias Boudinot, Nathaniel Gorham and several others, are nearly forgotten today because they were so limited in power, under the then-ruling document, the Articles of Confederation, that they for all intents and purposes held the title of the presidency almost entirely ceremonially.

There's a parallel. These men's roles were small -- and they accomplished nothing. When the Constitution was written, many government functions were fleshed out to a greater degree, but the presidency was not. For better or worse, and I think most of us would conclude for the better, George Washington took the presidency and made something out of it. He took it from a nearly ceremonial office to one that meant something.

It went from mere prestige -- if you could even call it that -- to having a purpose.

That's my goal for the position of mayor here. The title of mayor of Odyssey is just that, a title, if it carries no meaning, no force, if there is no desire behind the title to get something done.

I want to be mayor because I believe I can do something for this place. I want to be reelected so that the position does not become one of promoting "Swimming Pool Day" in the Town of Odyssey board instead of being concerned about the overall condition and wellbeing of the board and its users.

I am not criticizing the Town of Odyssey board; I do, however, believe that the position of mayor is about more than sales and specials and mock airports.

I am the first to admit that I am not the most technically advanced person here, but what I do know, I use. Under my watch, improvements have been made to the Town Hall -- and they are just a mere dim reflection of things to come. In the works are a partial Town Hall overhaul, put on hold due to the domain name crisis (by the way: I talked to Xhan this morning and he told me that he has finally renewed the domain, by the way, so it should be operating again within a few days), for example. And I know my limitations. I was considering implementing a Town Hall AIM bot and quickly found myself in over my head. Tim Peterson came to the rescue and we are working together on the project (with him doing all the difficult stuff). And that is not all.

I know that I can't make this board the envy of Silicon Valley, but I can and have worked to improve it. I may not be the "geek" that Hawkeye likes to claim he is. I don't have a Linux partition on my computer; I do, however, know how to make the Town Hall better, something that I believe my opponents lack.

As mayor, I have worked to keep the Town Hall a safe, friendly and smoothly operating place.

As mayor, I have worked to fix problems as they arise.

In summation, I desire the office of mayor because I want to help, because I want to be involved and because I want the Town Hall to be the best it can possibly be. And if reelected as mayor, I will work to make that vision a reality.

Ferder- · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2003 2:21 pm Post subject:

Bennett Charles · Town Villain Joined: 24 Nov 2002 Posts: 2410

Why are you running for mayor?

Cause I wanna be mayor. Why else do people run for mayor for?

What plans do you have for the town of Odyssey if you are elected as mayor?

I'll create some unbelievable excitement for all. No stupid speeches! No stupid boring stuff! All good in fun!

-Mellow boy · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2003 9:03 pm Post subject:

that sounds pretty good Bennette. Sorta like what Ferder is planning Smile

Jared · Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2003 10:09 am Post subject:

On the issue of what plans I have for the town of Odyssey if reelected:

I covered this issue somewhat in my answer to the previous question, but allow me briefly reiterate and also to respond to some of what my opponents have said.

I readily admit that my plans generally surround the forums as a whole, not the Town of Odyssey in specific. As your mayor, I will continue to work on behalf of the members in all possible aspects, not just on issues pertaining to the Town of Odyssey.

I want to make this board more enjoyable. In fact, I want to turn the Town Hall into a one-stop web home for its users, where one has access to a massive number of items: the forums, Odyssey news and information, episode links, headline news, weather, links to other Odyssey sites, personal bookmarks, a private to-do list, quick links to the most recent Town Hall posts and, hopefully, far more. I want the Town Hall to be more than a message board; I envision it as an online community.

A significant step toward this goal is nearing completion.

My opponents offer "unbelievable excitement" and "tangible treats," I personally do not think those vague, open-ended promises carry much weight. My advice to them: allow me to try to believe and comprehend this "unbelievable excitement." Give me an idea of what this "entertainment and fun" that Ferder enthuses about actually is.

Very few candidates run for office promising incredible boredom and a miserable existence for all, so these promises are hardly surprising. Then again, they are hardly believable. I think the people here deserve to know what exactly is being promised them. They should have some idea of what exactly the candidates plan to do. Thus far, my opponents have utilized lofty language but have not backed them up with inspirational ideas.

Ferder, I know, plans to release more Lego videos for the entertainment of the people here. I applaud his efforts. But that is not contingent on election; indeed, that is the job of a director/producer, not a mayor. If this is his grand promise, I would urge his supporters to note that he can do the same thing with a private shop in the Town of Odyssey -- say, a movie theater. This has no bearing on mayoral office.

And as for Hawkeye, who has yet to even grace this debate with his words and thoughts, I would note that he is on the opposite end of the spectrum. Ferder and Bennett Charles offer great things without backing up their rhetoric with real ideas; Hawkeye offers simply nothing. No high rhetoric promising greatness and no ideas. Would that he would at least have a goal, but he does not.

When it comes to the office of mayor, results matter. I am prepared to work diligently in the position, as I have done throughout this term and moreso. My opponents, I respectfully submit, are not up to the task.

[Call to members: Josiah is waiting for your questions, those befuddled masses yearning to break free... Or whatever. Send them now!]