22 October 2007

Malone, Cooper, Winburn, Bates

This blog salutes WKRC's Dan Hurley for providing the only substantive program on local issues. I once saw him at the Clifton Graeter's, and if he wasn't already at a table, I might have bought him ice cream myself in gratitude for his good work. This was a few years ago when I was in my chocolate shake phase (chocolate shake w/ vanilla ice cream).

Hurley has been hosting non-incumbent candidates on Newsmakers for several weeks now. Yesterday, he had Malone, Cooper, Winburn, and Bates. If you missed it, you didn't miss much. Here's the recap:

Malone: A comment at Porkopolis called Malone's performance "borderline retarded." I don't know that I'd go that far, but it's safe to say that "Sam Malone" and "genius" have never been in the same sentence. And yet amazingly, he turned out to be the smart one on the show. As I recall, he was the only one who actually had something resembling a plan to reduce crime in hotspots.

Cooper: I don't know much about Minette Cooper except that she served on council before. I have never heard her speak before, and, based on what I heard, I find it unbelievable that she served on council. She was poorly informed, unintelligent, and appeared confused. I would not be surprised to find out she was on medication at the time.

Winburn: I can see why he has the nickname "Charlie Windbag." He said almost nothing of substance, instead serving up vague platitudes about how he will provide leadership on council and fight crime.

Bates: Bates has about zero charisma, which won't help her, but that's not a reason not to vote for her. The reason not to vote for her is because she is poorly informed about local issues and didn't have any clear ideas about crime, the Banks, or fiscal issues. She also didn't understand the streetcar issue, which she thought was just something that would look fun and nice. The host had to explain that it was about economic development.

The most generous description I can give about these four candidates is that they barely meet minimum expectations, if at all. I know I'll be looking for something more on Nov. 6.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's scary but local lunatics prepare and rehearse before they call into WLW (what's his name, General Oda, supposedly took more time preparing than talking). You'd think one of these folk would bother learning the issues.

5chw4r7z said...

Thanks for filling us in, do you remember a couple years ago Rev. Bill something? He couldn't spell or right complete sentences.
And people wonder why the same candidates keep getting re-elected.

WestEnder said...

Ah, yes... you're thinking of Rev. Bill Barron. Here is his SmartVoter page if you want to relive fond memories. Be sure to click on the "answers from Bill Barron" link for full effect.

(clever of you to use satire by writing right instead of write... that was on purpose, write?)

Anonymous said...

I just made the same right/write mistake about a week ago. I blame it on sleep deprivasdflksjalllllll

5chw4r7z said...

damn that spell checker!
But yes thats exactly who I meant.

Anonymous said...

Sam Malone mis-used son's inheritance money.
As reported by channel 5 news wire:

"The probate court ruling issued Oct. 8 states that Malone wrongfully withheld $22,000 worth of insurance and Social Security benefits that should have gone to his son.

According to court papers obtained by News 5, Malone failed to report receiving nearly $20,000 from an insurance company.

"Malone states the funds were used to pay general household expenses," the documents say, and the candidate restated his claim to News 5.

“As any parent knows, it is expensive to raise children today,” Malone said in a statement. “Over the course of four years, the expenses related to private school, tutoring, and basic necessities have far exceeded any benefits my family received.”

Court documents show that's not what the money should have been used for and claim that Malone did not provide a definitive paper trail.

Malone said he spent $2,000 of the boy's money on tutoring, but the court said he produced documentation for only $250.

“(Malone) provides very little information on what things were purchased specifically for use by (his son)," court records say.

Malone declined to be interviewed on camera, but in a statement that he said was reviewed by his legal and political advisors, the candidate said he expected the court to “ultimately agree that all expenses are justified.”