Steve Cooke for City Council?
Readers have accused me of being whimpy for not dissecting the good, the bad and the ugly concerning this year’s council candidates. I thought it would be boring. But I just realized this guy could shake things up and leave us all begging for more. Oh yeah. Read these fightin’ words.
I don’t know him. But I like the potential column material from what I see here. Go get ’em, Cooke.
I hope readers will take the time to view my positions and qualifications as a whole before making any judgments. They are online for all to see at http://www.CookeforUP.com.
Man – he is right on the money about the way our city government has operated for years. It would be great to inject some “new blood” into the City Council – particularly through an actual election, as opposed to the back-room system we’ve always had.
Go Steve Cooke! Keep asking the tough questions.
Well, I’m voting for him based on the 8 minutes I spent reading his website. Good stuff. That’s at least one vote for Cooke, or two if you count 1Zima2Many.
Rock the vote
Steve, could you explain how your name came to be so closely associated with the other two candidates, even so far as having your name on an over-sized banner that violates ordinances, and is not compliant with the Texas Ethics Commission? At least according to another blog posting.
I appreciate that you have a web site, stating your positions on other topics, and I like a lot of what you have to say, but would like to know the answer to this question.
Steve,
While you are explaining your endorsement by Albert Huddleston, could you please explain your endorsement by a political action committee that will not reveal the names of its members or its sources of funding. It seeems to me on its face to contradict the strong ethics and disclosure position you have publicly presented.
What exactly do you people like Merritt and Zima not like about the way the City has operated? What are you unhappy about?
Our City is envied across the nation…our taxes never increase. The Mayor and Council have no agendas…they are giving service to the City as a payback, and a labor of love. They spend about 30 hours a week for an unpaid, basically thankless job.
People who move here from cities like plano that buy ink by the bucket are the type of people who give the Park Cities a bad name. Those of us that grew up here, and have roots here, would never refer to ourselves as “Parkies”, or buy into your “snarky” commentary.
Most of us are laughing at you, not with you…and you will see that on May 8th.
Go away.
Doug, I love how you have anointed yourself the spokesman for “us”, because “us” isn’t nearly as angry as you are, and has more class than to say “go away” over someone having a different opinion than you. And you don’t refer to yourself as “Parkies” because it is not meant to be a flattering term, similar to “the bubble”. Blaming the new people for the negative perceptions of the Park Cities, well, that’s just funny, because one of the reasons people label “us” is for your condescending view of outsiders. The perception of the Park Cities has been around a LONG time, and is not influenced by people moving in from Plano. You people who grew up here earned that all by yourself.
Hmmmm, well, I really just thought a shake up would be fun to watch.
And I’m feeling pretty confident it’s not people like me who give the Park Cities a bad name. If we even have a bad name. I hate to say it but I’m rubber, you’re glue, bounced off me and stuck on you.
BTW, Zima grew up here too.
Doug: I loved growing up in UP and I love living here now (about 35 years total at this point). The only thing that occasionally makes me want to “go away” is the closed-minded attitude that occasionally prevails. Thank you for so perfectly demonstrating that in your post.
What I was referring to is the de facto system in which the mayor and city councilmembers are effectively anointed by the UP Community League, by assent, without any meaningful debate or election. However, I can see how that system might look pretty good to someone who is completely closed off to debate or self-reflection.
Doug,
Count me in as one of the “You People”. Maybe our taxes would decrease if we didn’t waste thousands of dollars w/o proper oversight.
Your sense of entitlement is awe inspiring. Please let us non-native residents know when, where and how we may be privileged enough to poke our heads out and join your elite citizenry. You actually are the proverbial “Parkie”. How shallow.
Stay classy Doug…
Other than college, I’ve lived here my whole life – nearly four decades – and have never voted in a city council election. This one will be my first. Not that anyone cares, but I am voting for Steve Cooke based on what I just read on his website.
This passage regarding the Bush library was particularly convincing:
“I believe the City has failed the residents adjacent to SMU by not holding SMU accountable for the violations of its employees and students (mostly parking, trash, noise, etc.) and by not negotiating from a position of strength in regards to the Bush Library parking but rather just asking Bush Foundation officials to consider changes. The neighborhood residents that I’ve spoken to feel they’ve been mistreated and lied to by SMU and the ill will they carry because of that has colored their opposition to the Bush Library parking, in my opinion. The City should devote more resources to the enforcement of existing parking and nuisance regulations and pressure SMU to encourage the compliance of its employees and students.”
Merritt, thanks for linking. I hope the dead-tree version of PCP is rounding up this kind of information on all the candidates as a service to its readers, of which I admit I am not one.
Ditto the thanks for linking, Merritt. After reading his website, I intend to vote early at UP Town Hall tomorrow. Sadly, I am one of the apathetic residents who don’t usually take the time to vote in our local elections, but thanks to your post, that will be changing this year.
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