A Tale of Two Mayors?

By Anonymous

This morning’s newspaper contained a lead story in which it was reported that outgoing Mayor Kevin Smith was refusing to step down from the position on the grounds that a lawsuit filed by several of his former administration officials challenging new Mayor Kris Ockomon’s residency must be decided before Ockomon can rightfully serve as Mayor.

This is the most outrageous and ludicrous political ploy I have ever witnessed in more than 50 years as an observer of the local political scene. Smith’s position has a modicum of constitutional credibility, but his egoistic demeanor in announcing that he would “not vacate” his role smacks of Machiavellianism and Narcissism. He would have been much better served, and his position much more acceptable in the public eye, had he simply stated that he would remain “available to serve the citizens of Anderson” should the lawsuit result in a declaration that disqualifies Ockomon.

Smith’s ambition to maintain control of city government appears to have become a personal obsession. In a truly Machiavellian fashion, he is grasping for any means possible through which he can retain power as mayor. His belief that he is the only visionary leader who can “save Anderson”, a view heavily conditioned by biased local media that supported his candidacy, is not only a position that was rejected by the voters but also a belief that reflects a frightening Narcissistic tendency. His behavior in this matter, and the behavior of his former administration officials who filed the lawsuit, should be cause for great alarm among local Republicans as to their party’s stability and its leadership’s ideals. The entire strategy reflects a failure of the Republican Party city committee’s leadership to responsibly perform its job prior to the election in November, a lack of respect among the strategies’ proponents for the political process and the voice of the people, and a definite lack of moralistic integrity among those who contrived and/or support such a disrespectful approach. The place for this type of fight was during the campaign, not after the election and certainly not on the day before the inauguration of the new mayor. The negative impact of this strategy will resonate throughout this community for many years to come and has adversely affected any chances Anderson may have had to attract new residents and new ventures.

For many of us Andersonians who are Republicans in principle, this is the most embarrassing moment we have experienced in the recent memory of local politics, and far more embarrassing than losing any election. The local news media, in particular the Herald-Bulletin and, most of all, WHBU radio, share heavily in the blame for this debacle. Their displays of overt bias in support of Smith’s candidacy and the idea of “visionary leadership” throughout the election campaign contributed to the current mindset that has led to this situation. Both media sources did not have the moral fiber to immediately and publicly accept the voters’ election-day rejection of their viewpoints and move forward in support of the community’s future interests. Such actions do not help achieve harmony and a common sense of purpose within the community.

If Anderson is to ever move forward again, it will require the presence of an unbiased and supportive media along with political parties that limit battle to campaign periods and afterward find a common ground for the good of the city.

A new Independent voter,
anonymous

Technorati Tags: Anderson Government Kevin S. Smith Kris Ockomon Local Opinion Politics