Early in the afternoon, on Oct. 31, Mr. Rob Giebel, Marvin resident and organizer of the Biennial Marvin Candidate Survey, reached me. He had questions about the prospect of being a 'write-in' candidate. In the weeks prior, I had been asked whether I would accept write-in votes and/or a Council position, if elected.
Although my resolve to retire was quite firm up until that point, answering the question was becoming increasingly more difficult...
As a voter, myself, I found it troubling that I could not find any Marvin candidate responses to local newspaper candidate questionnaires. I couldn't locate Marvin candidate platform information either. In fact I wasn't able to locate information about the council candidates at all. I was growing concerned. Residents I had spoken to were also growing frustrated. I believe this is where principle-driven motivations began to kick-in and my daydreams of Mai Tais on a beach began to fade.
Any candidate asking to be voted into public office is asking to be hired for a job by "the People". Pursuit of lesser jobs require a resume, a list of credentials, a cover letter about the candidate, what they stand for, and their reasons for applying for the job. Any sincere applicant doesn't withhold their resume simply because they believe there are no other candidates in the queue. The conscientious candidate seeks to impress and gain the respect of their prospective employer. This demonstrates respect for 'the People" in this case; and respect for the position. Respect is something every public officer should have regardless of whether there is competition for a particular office or not.
Yet, like other voters, I could not find a thing which demonstrated these candidates truly cared about and wanted the job. Perhaps the candidates are good people. Yet, being a good or a willing person doesn't necessarily qualify someone for a job.
Believe it or not, I would still consider casting my vote for someone else other than me -- if I could get behind their positions. Yet, I have no idea what those positions are. And, I'm not comfortable with any candidate willing to take votes and public office for granted. It just doesn't sit right with me. That's why, in response to requests, I decided to provide voters with an option; a candidate transparent with their thoughts, ideas, opinions and positions.
If nothing else, perhaps my existence might inspire more transparency from other council candidates. If you agree with me; that public office and our votes, shouldn't be taken for granted, then consider writing in my name ("Mary Shkut") and filling in the bubble on the ballot. If elected I will continue to represent all Marvin voters with dedication and transparency, just as I have for the past 13 years. And, if I don't get elected, I will return to daydreams of Mai Tais in Maui! 😊
