Bill Matt

I've had a lot of time to decompress and do some soul searching after the election loss in November. I feel like I did not campaign hard enough, and in retrospect know a few things I should have done differently during the campaign.

I hit City Hall like a raging bull. I wasn't thoughtful enough, and I spoke too freely, making enemies of some strong political people. I spoke my mind, and as most successful politicians do, didn't hold my tongue when I should have. I also got dragged into some tough political fights that were not even mine. The camera issue, one I really supported not because Virg proposed it but because I have seen the power of technology and it really works, I supported. I would have supported it if Carol Wood had proposed it because it made good sense to me. The electorate was pretty evenly split on it, but Wood used it as a political football, and hung Virg around my neck like an anchor. The Wood Bernero split was one I couldn't straddle. Derrick Quinney did a masterful job of supporting both but siding with neither. In this election, where Wood had no real opponent, I was running against the most popular incumbent and my challenger.

I also got wind of a couple issues early, and much to my chagrin, and evidence of my naivety, I talked to Brian Jeffries about them. Both issues came up, but he preempted my early knowledge, and guided my opponent to score political points on both the Hunters Ridge development, and the Lewton/Averill Cell Tower issues. Though I knew of them early and supported the residents in both cases, both Jeffries and Robinson scored points and made contacts from them as well.

And on and on and on. A few other simple slips on the campaign front and I was finished.

I really felt it slipping away about a week before the election so I wasn't at all surprised. I had a very aggressive opponent, one that was politically savvy and didn't take stands on issues that could hurt her; I had the Wood-Jeffries cabal actively working against me and for my opponent; I had lost the support of my own neighborhood association president since Wood was whispering in her ear; I had the immediate past Council member Randy Williams campaigning against me; both the FOP and LSJ endorsed my opponent. So as I said, I wasn't surprised and in retrospect I haven't been terribly disappointed either. I have really enjoyed and appreciate the time I have with my young family even more. The job was a grind, really a major time drain. I can sit on boards I have more of an interest in, and the politics are not so serious.

The hardest thing about losing was not even that I lost.

The hardest thing was the toll it took, however temporarily, on my oldest son Nicholas. Nick is 9 years old. He was and is very politically astute and aware. He spend a few days going door to door with me. He saved pictures of my campaign literature because he was so proud. Nick was old enough to understand losing, whereas my other two boys only knew that suddenly, dad was around all the time, and that was great! Nick felt like the loss was a personal rejection of his dad, and that in turn was hard on me. He said things like "A'lynne Robinson ran us out of town". Parents know how bad it feels to disappoint your kids. He said little about the loss, but I could see him run through the stages of a loss. Shock, disbelief, denial, anger, and finally acceptance. I did my best to console him, and made a point of going out in public right away with him, despite the fact that I felt like staying home. I had nothing to be ashamed of and neither did he. So now his dad is a former council member, and he understands now that that is better than being a council member.

Labels: A'Lynne Robinson, Carol Wood, election, lansing city council

As you likely know by now, I lost the election Tuesday. Disappointment and lots of second guessing comes into play of course, but really one of the burning questions is what to do with myself next? One of the first questions I heard was will I ever run again?

After swallowing the bitter pill of defeat, my first instinct is to say "screw this". I will have given almost a year to the city and 4 years before that to the county of my life to the cause of serving the community, and then to be rejected by that same community. I have plenty of things going on in my life, namely raising and caring for my three boys. The monumental time away from them trying to help others in the city with their problems will end, and that is a great thing for our family.

I am thankful for the opportunity that I was given and appreciate all of the great people I met along the way. Especially members of the community like Patty, Monica, Anita, Kathy, Yolanda, Cynthia, Wes, Ann, Liz and Brian. They all contribute to their community out of the goodness of their hearts and definitely deserve our appreciation.

I suspect I will eventually find another opportunity to satisfy my passion for service.

Labels: 3rd Ward, Bill Matt, election, lansing city council

One thing is certain. Win or lose, I am glad the campaign is over. I really enjoyed going through neighborhoods door to door, meeting and talking to people. That was fun for the most part, except getting the door slammed in my face a couple times. I certainly learned a lot!

Special thanks to all of the volunteers, donors, supporters and especiallt Amber Shinn who did my great design pieces, Patrick Power whose photo's were spectacular, and of course Mickey Haddick who set up this here website and blog. Many, many others helped, and I would like to specifically mention Michelle, my wife. I have been an absentee husband and father this summer and fall, and witout her support the effort would not have even been possible.

The polls close in an hour and I'm going to the party at Corey's Lounge. Join us if you can!

-Bill

Labels: 3rd Ward, Bill Matt, election, lansing city council

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.

Labels: 3rd Ward, A'Lynne Robinson, Bill Matt, election, endorsements, lansing city council

Today the City Pulse ran an issue on Tuesday's election that was extremely detailed and comprehensive. I urge you to check out the story (LINK) not only for excellent coverage on the City Council races, but also the Lansing School Board and Lansing Community College races as well. There was voting record analysis by the guru Mark Grebner, and a political summary of candidates strengths and weaknesses by Todd Cook. I may have missed it but I don't think they mentioned the CATA Milage though...

Also, the excerpts for the written piece came from this live radio interview. This is an awesome link that will allow you to hear a podcast/mp3 replay of the entire interview commercial free. Definitely check this interview out! We covered a whole range of issues that people really want to hear about.

Great job all around by Beryl, Kyle, and my favorite weekly!

Labels: 3rd Ward, Bill Matt, City pulse, debate, election, lansing city council