Comments on the upcoming mayoral election in Lincoln, NE

 

Words count, especially word’s issued by a person in power, or a person seeking political office. I am a registered Republican, which is probably why I receive Cyndi Lamm’s campaign mailings. The last two mailings I received use language taken directly from the Trump rhetoric, for example: "Make Lincoln Great Again" and "Drain the swamp at city hall."

In choosing to use this language, this candidate is also choosing to associate herself, and her desired role as mayor, with an individual who is demonstrably racist, misogynistic, and narcissistic, a person who mocks the disabled, lies constantly, has paid settlements in a fraud case, has defrauded contributors to a foundation (and thus cannot operate a foundation again in New York), is profoundly ignorant of geography, cannot write a coherent paragraph, and is a failed businessman with numerous bankruptcies, along with a reputation for stiffing employees and contractors. This choice of language, and the implied association with the practices, makes her unqualified for public office.

Lincoln does not need to be made “great again.” Like most cities hosting a major university, Lincoln is already great. We have ready access to a broad array of rich cultural experiences, major art and natural history museums, active and successful galleries, an active live music scene, a booming real estate market (and consequently low inventory), excellent schools, excellent (and heavily used) libraries, low crime, ready access to state government, and major sports events. The fact that state government is located in Lincoln means that our citizens have a privileged access to the legislature, thus educational opportunities to teach us how government actually works and freedom to comment on it.

City hall is not a swamp, and if a candidate plans to “drain the swamp” in the same manner as the individual using the above language, that means the candidate intends to staff the mayor’s office with known criminals and individuals who are likely to be indicted for a variety of offenses. Furthermore, if a candidate intends to “drain the swamp” in the same manner as the president, that means the candidate intends to practice nepotism and use the major’s office for personal gain.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is not a “liberal extremist,” and we all know it. She is a very intelligent, articulate, and highly educated individual, exactly the kind of person this nation needs in leadership positions. She is young, and introduced legislation that functioned mainly to keep environmental issues under discussion at the national level. That performance does not make one a “liberal extremist,” nor does it mean she is pushing a socialist agenda. It simply means she is advocating the expenditure of resources in ways that benefit the most citizens.

Finally, my own analysis of government at all levels: it is not possible to limit spending and at the same time improve infrastructure and ensure the safety of all our citizens. Infrastructure maintenance and repair take substantial amounts of money, and if a candidate doesn’t know that, the individual has no business running for mayor. Police departments and fire and rescue services require substantial amounts of money, and a candidate who doesn’t know and recognize that face has no business running for mayor.