g-town election blog - Say it! Express yourself...

The Debate:

It was refreshing to see five new faces entering the political ring in Georgetown. Most of the candidates stated they were frightened to speak before town members. It showed but that was OK. Of the five new candidates most had not attended a BOS meeting or town committee meetings. It really showed!! The debate was well attended. The debaters were friendly and frank.

The participation of new candidates is very important. Why? Term limits will prohibit three candidates from running in the 2011 election. If elected Mayor Tom Bennoff will not be able to run for Mayor again. Selectman Lee Behrens of Ward I and Selectman John Jackson of Ward II will not be able to run for Selectman again.

Mayor Tom Bennhoff and Matt Skeen were well prepared. Time and time again Mayor Bennhoff displayed a thorough knowledge of the issues confronting Georgetown residents. He was frank and admitted several mistakes of the past two years. Matt Skeen shared several humorous stories

The rookies struggled often and were not well acquainted with most of the issues yet they deserve a great deal of credit for their effort! They often agreed with the Mayor. They did not distinguish why they would be better at running our town. It was also clear that most of the candidates were not well versed in campaigning yet they will learn and do better next time... I hope...

I found it especially amusing when each candidate discussed their strong support for communication between the Selectmen, the Town Hall Admin and residents of Georgetown. Why? As of this posting three of the candidates have not bothered to return phone calls, or answers questions posed to all candidates by us at cccco.us. See Compare Candidates. When reviewing our local phone book only three candidates are listed. What does this say about an open door policy?

I was surprised to learn that all candidates support a sales tax increase.

One candidate proposed converting the land near Georgetown Lake into a camp site. Another candidate said tents would be all over I - 70 and Georgetown Lake.

Brett Bauer made reference to speaking calmly and not shouting or intimidating others. I believe this was in reference to recent issues at BOS meetings. I was surprised that none of the candidates made reference to establishing a Code of Conduct for Selectmen or Committee members.

All in all we are fortunate to have five new faces desiring to take part in the operation of our community. I would like to thank each candidate for their interest.

A few in the audience were nodding. Several slept quietly. A few others wondered out into the cool night. They were refreshed by falling snow then returned. About one-third left early including a former Selectmen. A good part of the audience were former selectmen and committee members. What a great show of support.

When the debate ended everyone helped clean up then hung out for awhile.

Each of us should thank Don Weber and Dana Abrahamson for putting this debate together. Thank you both!

If you attended the debate and have comments different than mine please fell free to submit them to me at akiva@cccco.us. I would be happy to share your point of view.

I encourage everyone to vote for the candidate of their choice.

Akiva George Belk, cccco.us