The Salem News has not published this article on-line for some reason.
The Peabody Patch article is here: Donovan Enters Peabody Mayor's Race
Now the Salem News article has a short interview and here are the main points of Mr. Donovan's reasons for running:
- He doesn't think either Fitzgerald or Bettencourt will make the needed changes in Peabody
- He is a non-politician
- He is a fiscal conservative
- He has no plans to raise money for a campaign
- He wants to end bus fees for Peabody students
- He wants to cut spending
- He wants a 20% personal exemption for property taxes
- He would slash the mayor's salary (to the avg. city worker pay)
- He would not accept city health insurance (to set an example)
Of course his non campaign is going to already COST THE CITY because he is forcing a CITY WIDE PRIMARY! I called the clerks office and they were unable to tell me today what the approximate cost of a city-wide primary election will be... but other I have spoken with estimated the cost to be between $15-20,000 TAX DOLLARS!
All so a non candidate can run a non campaign on the platform of saving the city money.
Russ Donovan is just as welcome as any other citizen to run for office. However... if you are going to run for office... THEN RUN FOR OFFICE! Don't make this some symbolic gesture that has no value to the city... except to cost us all $$$ for your personal ego building.
I mean... that $15,000 would actually pay for 50 Peabody students to ride the bus to school for the year. Wouldn't that be money better spent?
14 comments:
I hate to give credence to your blog by even dignifying such an inane post with a response, but I will comment in defense of my father by proxy of your ignorance. Also I'm bored, angry and drinking vodka straight from its $11 plastic bottle.
Firstly, I would like to state that my father and I rarely see eye to eye when it comes to politics. I would put my beliefs somewhere around Libertarian-socialism for a point of reference. Wikipedia it. But he is my old man and our personal squabbles aside, I have his back.
I don't take issue with you opposing any stance my father has. If you chose to argue against any one of his positions, employing critical thought, I would fully support your right to open the floodgates of political discourse. However, this is not the case. So instead of arguing politics right now, I'm going to debate your intelligence. Your main point of contention here is that my father will cost the city "between $15-20,000 TAX DOLLARS!" Zounds! There's a comma in that number! This same point was brought up when I ran for mayor all those years ago. I wrote a really good op-ed piece that even the raggiest of rags, The Salem News, ran. Look it up. My position then, as it is now, remains what is your asking price for democracy? Would you be okay with his running if it only cost $5,000 or $500? What if it cost $1,000,000? What number would make you happy? If only 1 person ran every year, it would cost the city $0 to have a dictatorship. Think of the money the city would save! It'd add up to a lot of bus rides.
To back up your stupidity, your position is he should "THEN RUN FOR OFFICE!" Meaning, by your standards, that he should take campaign donations. Believe it or not, our political system affords anyone the right to run for political office, seeing that they meet the age requirement, live in the appropriate place for the office he/she is campaigning and collect the appropriate amount of signatures. That's basically it. Nowhere is it stated that a candidate must raise X amount of dollars to be a candidate. In light of the recent Supreme Court ruling in the Citizens United case, I find it a particularly noble act for a candidate to employ an entirely grassroots campaign. My father is not a Peabody "good old boy." Honestly, it's no mystery, nobody really likes him. He seeks to destroy the nepotism and cronyism that make all of us the too often victims of their whims and desires. Maybe that's why I love him.
So in closing, if you want to attack my dad, make an argument that actually holds water. You're welcome for the civics lesson.
I hate you and your blog,
Shawn Donovan
Former Candidate for Mayor/Professional Loose Cannon
(PS I hope this will ignite a flurry of comments by angry old townies who recently figured out how to use a computer. I anxiously await your responses at 5 AM when you wake up shortly before your wives to post here so you can have but a moment's respite in your loveless marriage to partake in the only thing that gives your grey, miserable lives purpose. In any case, I'm never reading this blog again. Have fun dying in the town you were born in. I'll be joining you in about 40 years.)
Wow. A better advertisement against alcohol use has yet to be devised.
Shawn, welcome. Of course you probably will not be reading this is you follow your own advice and convictions.
I think my argument was pretty fair actually.
I started by stating what Mr. Donovan said was his campaign platform - basically lower taxes/cost and more services.
We have heard this all too often from uninformed and fringe candidates - it is the rallying cry of most teabaggers, right?
But I didn't attack ANY of his positions, in fact, I didn't address them at all except to do him the favor of publishing them in a new forum.
I then went on to say that I welcome him, just as any other citizen, TO RUN for office.
My objection is to his stance that he will not be running a 'normal' campaign (my quotes) and thus has no chance to actually win the election. All he can succeed in doing is causing a city-wide primary and a hope to be included in any forums to voice his concerns/ideas/platform.
The tone of his statements coupled with his actions in past campaign attempts lead me to assume (perhaps incorrectly... but I think not) he will mostly be just talking to a few people and calling that a campaign.
Can you run for ward councilor, and be successful with a campaign like that? Perhaps. Is it a sign of a clear thinking person... one who is asking to be the leader of a 50,000+ person city with a budget of $130 million+, that they are going to run a real and effective campaign in such a manner? My opinion is no.
So again I say welcome. I admire a man who defends his family and does so with zeal. Sadly I think you have misplaced your ire in this instance.
Now I did make one glaringly bad point you could have legitimately nailed me with...
The money used for the primary election is NEVER going to be spent on something worthwhile like paying down the school bus fee. It will be absorbed into the $130M behemoth of a budget and never be seen again.
See, I have railed against this bus fee for years and am probably closer in some ideas for the city than you imagine. I just hate to see this waste of money with no real payoff for the city.
And it is NOT personal. If 3 other candidates joined the fray, I wouldn't be pointing at one additional non-candidate.
Congratulations Peabody_Insider! Your comment has been selected for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame of Missing the Point! It's quite an honor. For my rebuttal, please reread my original comment. If that is too much of a task, have someone explain it to you using small words or find a guy with a pronounced brow ridge to communicate it to you using a series of grunts and thuds.
You're welcome again,
Shawn
(PS This is really is my last time posting here.)
(PPS You're also welcome for the additional traffic I brought your blog for posting this on my Facebook page.)
Let's all just agree to disagree. And dance like nobody is watching.
I don't care much for arguing politics on a blog, but I figured I'd throw some facts into the matter.
*Donovan earned 26.64% of the vote in 2009, while raising $0 and running his campaign.
*Bonfanti earned 73.36% of the vote, having a war chest of $38,065, of which $6750 was raised in 2009 and $1000 was a loan he made to himself.
Donovan got more than a quarter of the vote-- while drastically (I dare say infinitely) underspending his opponent and having little to no name recognition. I wouldn't call that a failure, I'd call that a fiscally sound campaign.
Here are the references for those too lazy to Google:
http://www.salemnews.com/local/x1939354291/Mayor-out-of-2011-race
http://www.salemnews.com/local/x1081152459/Driscoll-ahead-in-fundraising-effort
His voter percentage is only due to being an anti-Bonfanti vote. Fiscal responsibility whateever... If he actually cared about Peabody he would have walked all the neighborhoods and spoke to people. The reality is that he only cares what he thinks. Boy does that sound familiar....Waste waste waste...Russ this is your friend from your blog that you cannot even argue against correctly...
OH MY GOD.......WHAT HAVE WE COME TO WEN WE COSE TO DENY WHT GOES ON AROND US ALL OVER THE WRLD PEPL ARE SEEKING DEMOCRACY AND WE OF THE CRADL OF LBRTY R DENYING OUR NBRS THE RITE TO RUN FR OFFICE...IT WLDNT B SO BAD IF FITZ AND TED EVR ATTENDED ONE OF THE BORING SPECL PERMIT HEARINGS IN THE NBRHD BUT THEY NVR DID HV THE TIME...BT DONOVAN DID ALONG WITH MEDINA AND THE RST OF THE SO CALD OD BALLS...YOU SHLD WISH EVRY 1 OF THE SITTING COUNCILLORS HAD COMPETITION IN GROUPS OF TWO OR MORE AND OUR CTY WLD STND A MUCH BETR CHANCE OF SURVIVAL OVER ALL OF THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES INCLUDING LYNN......SHAME ON U NAYSAYERS ABOUT DONOVAN AND HIS GOALS ....BY THE BY WHERE ARE FITZS GOALS, AND TEDS GOALS...DID THEY THINK THEY HAVE DONE SOMETHING IN THEIR LIFES THAT MEAN ANYTHING TO THE CITS OF PEABODY....HAVE THEY EVR MADE ONE SINGLE CONTRIBUTION THAT WE ARE ALL AWARE OF?
CK THE RECD FOLKS
Obviously Russ's guys didn't get out of elementary school. That was the most poorly written defenses for him.
Russ went because he wants to choose the business and wants to make sure it fits his needs. 500 on a petition has no weight compare to Russ's weight....My god the business would actually have customers and god forbid if they did...That would be horrible!!!!
Patch editor just tweeted that Bob Croce has joined the at-large race. Interesting. Must not make Garabedian happy. Bob will pull a lot of votes out of the same ward.
THERE IS ALREADY A CITYWIDE PRIMARY FOR THE PMLP COMMISSIONER'S RACE.
SO, IN FACT, HIS CANDIDACY WILL NOT COST THE CITY A DIME.
Campaign donations: cute a little phrase that replaces the word BRIBE. That's basically what it is. Vote the way I want you to vote and I'll give you money.
Instead of respecting someone who decides not to take donations, you criticize him and claim he is not a real candidate.
Shawn nails it on the head, so there's no point in repeating what he said.
I was Shawn's campaign manager for his Mayoral run. It was a great learning experience in many ways. The greatest lesson I learned is that even though I was involved in a political world that is by far small and almost insignificant when compared to that of the national or world stage, the same b.s. still happens.
Shawn and I attended a debate held at a senior citizens facility in Peabody. I met a campaign manager for one of the candidates running for one of the offices that day (his name shall remain nameless mainly because he's not worthy of a name drop). He walked up to me, without saying a hello, and said "hey buddy next time wear a tie, look a little more presentable when you come to these things". He then chuckled and walked away so smugly, a brown cloud started to form above his head. (South Park, Wikipedia it.)
In my defense, I was wearing a nice pair of slacks, a freshly pressed button up, and a brand new shiny pair of Bostonian dress shoes. But apparently to this fashionista, my look didn't quite cut it. This political hot shot was so threatened and/or disgusted by Shawn and myself getting involved in the political system that he chose to attack me like a 2nd grader. Not a hello or welcome. Just an attack not seen since my grammar school days.
Not everyone there was like this. Mike Moutsoulas was a standup guy and was so impressed and excited that young people were getting involved in this aging, crony, buddy buddy, poor excuse for a political system in Peabody (my words not his).
In conclusion, I'd like to say congratulations. Keep your old boys club of a political system. I got the hell out and moved to Salem where the women are flowing and the booze is loose.
Viva la Revolucion!
Love,
Antonio
Part time campaign manager/Full time Marxist
http://peabodypolitics.blogspot.com/
I have started a new blog that will allow us to talk about the real issues of the city. Please stop on by and let your friends know. Here we can get to the real issues and work together to find real solutions.
Look forward to chatting with everyone!
Wow. There are a lot of big words, capital letters, and Supreme Court citations floating around in these posts. We must have a lot of intelligent people speaking in this forum that will be read by a total of thirty people (being optimistic with that guess). Oh wait, we also have a self-proclaimed Marxist who gave us a few poorly written paragraphs that bear no relevance to this thread at all. My advice to you sir, wear a tie so that the senior citizens take you seriously. It may not be important to you but you do have to keep the public in mind when running for public office. If you don't like the political system in our country you are free to leave. Now, on to more important things. I have no issue with anyone running for office. If you want to make a change and have your voice be heard then you are granted that right (even if you are an absolute fool with little to zero intelligence). My issue with Mr. Russell Donovan is that he runs a campaign for $0 and complains about the same old issues. Mr. Donovan, if you think that you can solve these problems I have no issue with you taking a few of my tax dollars to fund your campaign. You could be the best mayor in the world for all we know...but you don't want to cost the taxpayers any money thus you never run a serious campaign. I don't buy it sir. Even if you chose to match Mr. Bonfanti's war chest of $38k back in 2009 you are costing each taxpayer about $2 (assuming that about half of the population is paying taxes). If that $2 in my taxpayer money goes toward electing a mayor that lowers taxes and makes our city a better place (you pick the positive outcome(s)) then I think most rational people would consider that to be money well spent. In fact, that money would come right back into our pockets. For that reason I can only conclude that Mr. Donovan just likes to hear the sound of his own voice. If he were ever to take the seat behind the mayor's desk I have little doubt that his first order of business would be to change his pants after wetting himself out of fear. We live in a country that tries to better itself and that's why taxpayers contribute to campaigns for public office. We want the best people for the job, not to hear from some lazy, blowhard who is too scared to actually throw his hat in the race.
Well put Mr. Anonymous 8/2/11, 1:07 AM , I believe you have officially won this thread by unanimous decision over Mr. Donovan and Jr. I'd like to salute you by cracking open an ice cold Diet Pepsi Max whilie enjoying a slightly chilled Snickers Bar with you.
And Mr. Marxist No-Tie: put on a tie with your "nice pair of slacks" or quiet down son. You my friend are a silly boi.
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