By ROBERT WALL
Richard Derkevorkian and Bill Elam have, without a doubt, put in the “blood, sweat, and tears” that comes with being in the minority in our borough government. I have the utmost respect and appreciation for their conservative representation for their districts, and certainly share their desire for a conservative mayor that can help share their load.
I must disagree, however, with their choice of who the best candidate to do that is. Obviously, this is why I have entered the race. Mr. Micciche’s “proven track record” is actually one of being unreliable under pressure when his constituents needed him to hold firm to conservative principles. Micciche is a kind gentleman, and visibly involved in our community, but I must respectfully disagree with Derkevorkian and Elam’s claim that he is a strong leader.
The authors’ main reason for writing their letter is to share their fears that voting for a write-in candidate (me, obviously, as I am the only registered write-in candidate) will risk filling the position with a candidate more liberal than Mr. Micciche.
Again, I must respectfully disagree with the likelihood of that occurring. With five candidates in the race, it is almost assured that no one person will garner 50% plus one of the votes; in other words, there will be a runoff election between the top two. Logically, that will be the most liberal candidate vs. one of the other four.
For this reason, voters are in the unusual position to truly vote their conscience in this race! Conservatives will then unite behind the one conservative candidate in the March runoff. For now, however, voters are wonderfully free to choose who they want their conservative representative to be. Why should they now throw up their hands and settle, out of fear, for a candidate they don’t truly want to represent them? Asking them to do so is asking them to vote against their own conscience.
To truly help these two gentlemen, Derkevorkian and Elam, our focus must be to run and elect more truly conservative assembly members, not to dissuade our people from voting for a stronger conservative mayor. And if our residents continue to elect a liberal majority in the assembly, then they have made the choice to have a more liberal borough government; having the weaker mayor will not be enough to offer the authors the support that they desperately need.
This struggle is not new, and it is certainly not just local. Our entire country is facing this tension as the divide between conservative and liberal policies becomes wider than ever. As KPB Mayor, I won’t be able to solve this deeper debate. I can and will, however, do my part to both communicate and prove out the benefits of conservative policies in our borough. I can also use my position, as appropriate, to argue for the more conservative candidates running for election.
Perhaps, by staying true to our core beliefs and by working together, we can inspire others to join the fight.
