Doro Doro Doro And A Myth Named Nancy

Oh my, where do I start? First let me commend Plymouth Township Supervisor Richard Reaume for umm, well, nothing. He turned what should have been, and what turned out to be a professionally run candidate forum by the League of Women Voters into a three ring circus in the week leading up to the event.

Seriously, the man acted like a child the whole week leading up to this forum, and in the end, right triumphed over wrong, and the League of Women Voters conducted this thing pretty much flawlessly. Had King Richard bothered to show his face, he would have been proud. Well, maybe not proud, but he would have been like the child screaming bloody murder at the doctor before the dreaded vaccination, only to be happy, relieved, and smiling 5 minutes later after learning it wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be.

The citizens of Plymouth Township were absolutely respectful of all the candidates, and their questions were well thought out. I had two questions, and both were left on the Township's cutting room floor, as one of them was just not worded politically correct enough I suspect, but that is my fault, and not the fault of the league of Women Voters. The other was for the myth we call Nancy Conzelman who chose not to grace us with her presence.

I filled out my little index card with a question for Ms. Conzelman, and turned it in. I guess I shouldn't have assumed that she would show up for this important chance to meet the voters. We all know the ass-u-me rule, and I got caught violating it, because I figured she would show up for this candidate forum.

I was actually shocked when I saw Big Ron Edwards, and I give him credit for showing up. He didn't get any really tough, or controversial questions, but that certainly is not his fault. All three candidates for Treasurer showed up, and there were a couple of key differences in their views that need looking into. Bottom line here is that all three candidates showed up to make their case for why we should hand them a six figure salary for the next four years. This is how these things are supposed to work.

So what the heck is the deal with the myth named Nancy Conzelman? She is running for Township Clerk, she wants us to hand her a six figure salary for the next four years, and she doesn't show up for the interview? She wants us to trust her with running elections for the next four years, and she doesn't bother to show up for one of the big events in every election cycle? It never even occurred to me that Myth Nancy would be a no show for an event, that if elected, she would eventually be hosting in a manner of speaking. I would hazard a guess that if elected, Ms. Conzelman is probably gonna give the League of Women Voters the old heave ho.

I could be wrong about that, I don't know what she is thinking, heck, I've never even laid eyes upon the woman. She hasn't come knocking at my door, asking for support, she hasn't even sent me campaign literature that she herself actually produced. The only things I have received in the mail concerning Myth Nancy, is a campaign ad from Steve Mann endorsing her, but with an abundance of respect to Mr. Mann, I really don't care that he is endorsing her, because he is leaving the Board, and doesn't have to live with her if she is elected.

The only other thing I have seen, the only real insight I have available to me concerning Ms. Conzelman, is the infamous letter from our fearless leader, Supervisor Mr. Richard Reaume. Well we all know about that letter.

Mr. Reaume spoke glowingly about Ms. Conzelman, and then, he pulled a big Pinocchio, and told a fib about current Plymouth Township Clerk Joe Bridgeman. The big insight here is that in teeny tiny letters at the bottom of the page are the words telling us that the letter was paid for by Nancy Conzelman's campaign. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Trustee candidate Art Butler's campaign paid for the letter as well. I'm sure that Mr. Butler can't be very happy about that, but at least the man had the courage to show up for the candidate forum, and I respect him for that, and more importantly I respect, and thank him for his service to our country in the Coast Guard.

So, as far as Nancy Conzelman goes, she wants us to blindly trust her running our elections, and wants us to hand her a six figure annual salary. What she doesn't want, is to be bothered by having to show up for a half hour or so, and answer a few questions by the folks who will be paying her salary for the next four years. Did I say that I don't even know what the woman looks like? Amazing. Myth Nancy.

I'll only say one more thing, and this is to Ms. Conzelman: Nancy, if you are taking political advice from King Richard, you need a new approach. Listen to what he tells you to do, and then turn around and do the exact opposite. I really don't think you have a chance anymore after tonight, but the rest of the race will be less embarrassing for you if you heed my sage words of wisdom. By the way, I am watching a recording of Monday Night Raw as I give this advice, so maybe Nancy shouldn't take my advice either. Monday Night Raw is wrestling for those who don't know. I'm a big fan, so shoot me.

The Trustee candidates were next on the hot seat, and I'll say this right off the bat. With so many candidates in the race, it was extremely hard for them to stand out from the rest. Perhaps the best idea I heard all night, was from one of the two kids in this race. I can call them kids because they are young enough to be my kids, but I say it with no disrespect, because they came prepared.

In the one minute time period that the candidates had to speak before the questions started, Mr. Andrew Justus talked about transparency, and he went on to suggest that all Plymouth Township Board of Trustee meetings be put on Youtube. Simple idea, and absolutely brilliant!

It was one of those 'why didn't I think of that" moments for me. Transparency is a big issue amongst folks in Plymouth Township these days, and there is a lot of mistrust about the way business is handled by the Board of Trustees. The meeting footage ends up on WOW cable TV I am told, but not all of us have WOW, so we are shut out of the meetings unless we show up to attend.

Having these meetings on Youtube would ensure that a whole lot more folks would be able to see how business is done by the Board of Trustees, and it was very telling to see many of the candidates latching on to the idea that Mr. Justus brought forth.

The important thing about this is going to be who is in charge of the process. I say this because I have heard that the WOW replay of the last Board of Trustees meeting was selectively edited. I can't prove this yet, but if meetings are being edited, that is going to open a very large can of worms in my opinion.

Mr. Justus has a great idea, and it is very doable, but it has to be done right. Meanwhile, I will soon be searching for someone with WOW, and hoping I can see a replay of the June Board of Trustees meeting to see if we have a secret editor somewhere. ;)

The other "kid" in the race is Alanna Maguire. While she is a Democrat, and I am a Republican, I would be remiss if I just dismissed her because of party differences. I always get a bit conflicted about local government being partisan, and part of me thinks it should be as non-partisan as possible. it is what it is though, and ya work with what you've got.

I won't lie though, I have suspicions about some of the current Board as far as this goes. I truly believe that some of these folks are RINO's (Republican In Name Only) in order to have a much better chance to get elected in the Republican bastion that Plymouth Township is. I know that Ms. Maguire dinged me for making a comment about Democrats being only cannon fodder in the past.

Good for her for doing that. I must admit that I didn't know her when I made that statement, and she made me eat my words tonight. I first saw her when she showed up for the infamous 'special meeting" that never was. She seemed polite, and professional, and handed me a piece of her campaign literature when I asked her for one. I took it home and read it. This woman is one smart individual. Without going into everything, I believe she has a degree from U of M as well as from MSU.

This woman has an unbelievable future ahead of her. I can see her in the upper echelons of the CIA, or Homeland Security, or wherever else she chooses. If politics is a path she chooses to take, we will one day be calling her Congresswoman Maguire. You heard it here first.

Very impressive, these two kids are. Gives me hope.

On the other side of the coin, as usual, Mr. Robert J. Doroshewitz: (Door-shev-its) saved the entertainment for last. Just like the June Board of Trustees meeting, Mr. Doroshewitz (Door-shev-its) started us all out laughing, and then left us all angry.

Mr. Doroshewitz started out with a really great joke about his hair, and got a good laugh. He had a suddenly captive audience, and he sensed it. (deja vu anybody?) So he got caught up in the moment, and as Mr. Doroshewitz seems to have a tendency to do, he kept talking, and in doing so, he made everybody angry. Well, I wasn't as angry as he will be, when he realizes he may have just derailed any chance he has to get reelected.

Doro Doro Doro went all Tora Tora Tora on Trustee candidate Jennifer Mann (Not related to Steve Mann). It was a Pearl Harbor attack to be sure. He has obviously studied Admiral Yamamoto, and with his last chance to speak, the last chance to leave a lasting impression with the voters, he dropped a bomb on Jennifer Mann about her views as they pertain to the Plymouth Township Fire Department.

The problem is, he clearly, and willfully broke the rules of the candidate forum. The man had to be forcefully silenced and admonished by the moderator. It was the only time that the moderator had to call out a candidate for breaking the rules. I won't lie, there were a couple of times that somebody had to be gently reminded of the time limit, but this was huge.

You do NOT attack a candidate by name at a League of Women Voters candidate forum. Everybody knows that. Everybody played by the rules. Not one violation from any candidate other than Robert J. Doroshewitz (Door-shev-its). I know, I'm sick of seeing it too. (Door-shev-its) I see it everywhere I drive, and it makes me nuts. Can't wait till the election is over and the silly signs are gone.

Here is the hilarious thing. Bobby D had the final comment. He had the last word. If I was a candidate, I would kill for the chance to have the last word in a debate. He had the golden ticket, the final chance to sing his praises. Everyone was going to leave with his very last utterance ringing in their ears.

Bases loaded, two outs, bottom of the ninth, and the pitch is on it's way, and, he SWINGS and MISSES! Game over! You lose.

The debate basically ended with the moderator telling him in the nicest way she could, to basically, just be quiet. I watched him as he rather lamely tried to argue his case with the moderator about trying to differentiate himself from the other candidates, but she was having none of it, nobody was listening anymore anyway, and Bobby D started to get that doe in the headlight look of a candidate when they are just starting to realize that they have really messed up.

It wasn't over for him though. Not by a long shot. I was watching as Mr. Doroshewitz was pleading his case, and suddenly he had bigger problems. He had bigger problems in the form of Ms. Mann, who had decided that she would like to have a word or ten with him. This to me was possibly more riveting than most of the debate.

Everybody is stacking chairs, and chatting about the debate, and I am watching Ms. Mann having a very one sided conversation with a suddenly very uncomfortable looking Mr. Doroshewitz. I had a few conversations and was fortunate to meet some very nice people here tonight, but through all of these conversations though, I would look up occasionally, and they were still at it. I finally walked out the door roughly 20 minutes after the forum ended, and the last thing I saw was Ms. Mann and Mr. Doroshewitz still having what was probably a very interesting conversation.

I cannot say for sure why he pulled this stunt. He claims in his glossy campaign letter that he is a "seasoned veteran of the Township Board." That being said, he should know the rules of a simple candidate forum. He is a licensed attorney, and as such, rules should mean a lot to this fellow.

When I look back on the history of some of those on the Township Board, I see a pattern of some of them ganging up on those who they perceive to be a threat. Maybe that is how he perceives Jennifer Mann. Maybe he views her as one of the favorites in this race. Maybe he just doesn't like her. Either way, she kept her composure at the table, as he melted down, and that speaks volumes.

I walked away thinking that one of them will probably get elected, and one of them won't. Anyone care to guess who my money is on?

Bottom line:

Richard Reaume & Kay Arnold were AWOL Shame on BOTH of you! You do not deserve the job Ms. Arnold, if you won't show up for the interview.

Nancy Conzelman is still a myth to me. You do not deserve the job Nancy, if you won't show up for the interview!

Mr. Kelly is a mystery to me. He gets credit for showing up, to be sure, but I'm not sure why he is running, as he just seems disinterested, and lacks conviction when he speaks.

Mr Doorshewitz (Door-shev-its) (couldn't resist) continues to make us laugh then make us cry. He should be the honorary leader of The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight.

There were two young candidates, one Republican, and one Democrat who really impressed. I will no longer refer to them as kids, as they most certainly earned their spurs tonight.

I can't wait to watch the replay of this candidate forum on YouTube, the Tigers won tonight, and I am now going back to wrestling.

It don't get no better than that...