William Matt
It is my pledge to always seek justice on behalf of the City of Lansing. As your neighbor, I will work diligently to find responsible solutions to our challenges, and lead with a vision guided by a hope of an ever-better city.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Mea culpa
The Politics of Personal Destruction in todays hyper partisan world claimed an another victim this week. It was my opponent A'Lynne Robinson, and the perpertrator was me.
In the previous blog entry, I mocked mocked A'Lynne, and I am here to apologize for that.
A'Lynne, I'm sorry.
It was pointed out to me that there is a difference between calling attention to an opposing issue, and being mean-spirited and personal.
What I should have said was: A'Lynne has proposed 20 more patrol officers in Lansing, while cutting spending in the city budget, and question where the funds or cuts would come from.
Simple as that.
Instead I mocked and tried to embarass her, which is really out of character for me. I may have felt the sting of losing the FOP endorsement, or maybe it was 11th hour election jitters. No matter the reason, A'Lynne deserved better. Win or lose today, I hope that she will continue to contribute and make Lansing and the 3rd Ward a great place to live. She is a class act and has treated me fairly.
I had hoped to stay true to my values while serving the community, and I lost sight of that. Maybe I am not cut out for politics after all if I lose my own sense of self, so desperate to win.
My new rule of thumb will be using my kids as a guide. You know the old saying, if it is not something your mom would approve of then you shouldn't say it? I think that when I write, I will try and remember that if it is not something I would be proud to show my kids, then I won't write it. I don't need to entertain, and I certainly don't need to put others down to make myself look better.
In the previous blog entry, I mocked mocked A'Lynne, and I am here to apologize for that.
A'Lynne, I'm sorry.
It was pointed out to me that there is a difference between calling attention to an opposing issue, and being mean-spirited and personal.
What I should have said was: A'Lynne has proposed 20 more patrol officers in Lansing, while cutting spending in the city budget, and question where the funds or cuts would come from.
Simple as that.
Instead I mocked and tried to embarass her, which is really out of character for me. I may have felt the sting of losing the FOP endorsement, or maybe it was 11th hour election jitters. No matter the reason, A'Lynne deserved better. Win or lose today, I hope that she will continue to contribute and make Lansing and the 3rd Ward a great place to live. She is a class act and has treated me fairly.
I had hoped to stay true to my values while serving the community, and I lost sight of that. Maybe I am not cut out for politics after all if I lose my own sense of self, so desperate to win.
My new rule of thumb will be using my kids as a guide. You know the old saying, if it is not something your mom would approve of then you shouldn't say it? I think that when I write, I will try and remember that if it is not something I would be proud to show my kids, then I won't write it. I don't need to entertain, and I certainly don't need to put others down to make myself look better.
Labels: 3rd Ward, A'Lynne Robinson, Bill Matt, election, endorsements, lansing city council
# posted by Bill Matt @ 1:38 PM 
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