I guess the campaigning for Linda Parks’ Ventura County Supervisor seat has already started with a malicious phone poll slanted against her. It looks like the Ventura County Republican Central Committee is behind this, testing the waters for a possible run for the seat by Audra Strickland, according to an article in the Ventura County Star (1-20-10).Â
I find this shocking on several levels. First, the office of County Supervisor is nonpartisan…so it is not a Republican or Democrat thing. (And, this is why, in this blog, I try to stay away from party politics as much as possible, because all local offices are nonpartisan.) But, the other thing is, Linda is a Republican, and yet it looks like her party’s county central committee is behind this poll, taking sides against her, with another Republican.
Second, I understand from reading in The Star, that Audra does not even live in the district. The newspaper says she lives in Moorpark. If she wants to run for the Sup Board, why doesn’t she run in her own district, against Peter Foy, who is also up for re-election this year?
Third, I am shocked by how nasty and misleading the poll is. To have this kind of mud be thrown around in Ventura County is very sad to me. We, as voters, have enough of a job deciding who to vote for, based on candidates’ merits and track record, without having to sort through a lot of falsehoods, or innuendo! To judge this poll for yourself, here is a link to the questions asked, along with Linda’s clarifications: http://voteforparks.com/stricklandpushpoll.html
I feel like saying to candidates and potential candidates before this local election cycle really begins, “Please folks, keep it clean! Let us make a voting decision based on your record, merits, and character.”
To read Timm Herdt’s article, “County GOP tied to Survey on Parks,” in the Ventura County Star:Â http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jan/19/county-gop-involved-in-attack-on-parks/
Jeanne Cope // Jan 21, 2010 at 3:11 PM
Indeed this is a sad thing. It appears that the political climate is so polarized that ideology runs the race. The fact that Linda Parks is a Republican is lost here. Has the far right taken hold of the Republican party to the extent that they can pass along non-realty based ideology that fosters hysteria?
The real joy of having Linda Parks as our Supervisor is that she sees problems and works towards solutions. She see her demographics and reaches out to meet their special needs. If there is injustice she seeks to right it. She does not allow profit making developers to build without meeting the needs of the people or without keeping the ecology and quality of life in mind.
I am saddened already that this race is becoming a shrill,polarized exercise in ideological hysteria.
This can only bring shame to the Republican party.