tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6970352414722890324.post1755300829492744577..comments2023-10-14T04:20:55.651-05:00Comments on Just My 2 Cents Worth: A Christmas Card and a More Comprehensive Mailer From Amir Omardc-tmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14175240802333780232noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6970352414722890324.post-87515227899177719522012-12-31T15:22:13.753-06:002012-12-31T15:22:13.753-06:00I like Laura and amir. But... Some of these connec...I like Laura and amir. But... Some of these connected insiders have views that are outdated. I doubt many have actually watched council meetings where these council members just rubber stamp what the staff brings. It is obvious most do not do their homework. I see the connected insiders endorsing because they are endorsing someone they feel is in their camp much like people blindly endorse a political party. <br /><br />Laura is being endorsed by a group that still thinks it is the 1990s. The decisions they are making all look like the 1990s. Does everyone realize how many apartments have been approved for just north of canyon Creek? This group is asleep. Amir is selfish and Laura is too wimpy. <br /><br />Richardson will look back at this time in 20 years as the time that made it or broke it. Looks like we are heading the broke direction. Things are getting shiny now but it won't last.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6970352414722890324.post-64079834845568273162012-12-31T11:27:52.745-06:002012-12-31T11:27:52.745-06:00Your post is reminiscent of Steve Mitchell's a...Your post is reminiscent of Steve Mitchell's attempts to straddle both sides of an issue. <br /><br />You seem to have ignored that there are a number of Richardson citizens whom have given a lot of their personal resources to effect change in Richardson that are most definitely not "connected insiders." <br /><br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6970352414722890324.post-63555578819963490872012-12-28T13:00:40.960-06:002012-12-28T13:00:40.960-06:00Everyone likes an underdog story. And it certainl...Everyone likes an underdog story. And it certainly appears that the "normal citizens" are being set up as an underdog when compared to the "Connected Insiders". My take on this is different....in order to be a connected insider it usually (not always) requires the person to give a lot of their personal resources (time, energy, and money). These Connected Insiders are then much more engaged and informed than the "normal citizens" who are usually much more apathetic and uniformed. This is not always the case, but I think it is usually the case. Therefore, I conclude that having a large number of Connected Insiders endorsing a particular candidate should be viewed favorably. In the case of Amir and Laura, I think you will see a large number of Connected Insiders and "Normal Citizens" lining up to support their particular candidate...which is why I think our City will be well served with either of these 2 candidates as the mayor. Unfortuneatly, Richardson ends up losing out because one of them will lose and no longer be on the Council...which I think is short-term setback created by the Direct-Elect initiative.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6970352414722890324.post-43822498340429528822012-12-26T10:46:29.778-06:002012-12-26T10:46:29.778-06:00Ms. Maczka's supporters seem to be the same in...Ms. Maczka's supporters seem to be the same individuals who were opposed to electing the mayor by citizen vote.<br /><br />Ms. Maczka was the person to be annointed by the Coalition and others in the "back room" as Mayor in 2013. No effort, little money, and no suggestions of any different compass heading other than the present one espoused by management would have landed her in the office. Except there was a petition that garnered enough signatures to force an election on whether the mayor should be elected by the people - which passed 3 to 1.<br /><br />It now appears Coalition members and those individuals who didn't want the mayor elected by the people now support Ms. Maczka for the office. Whose email list is Ms. Maczka using besides her own? The Coalition's. Who supports her campaign? Those who didn't want a freely elected mayor.<br /><br />The appearance that Ms. Maczka is the candidate of the old guard and its old ways of controlling city affairs is pretty evident. <br /><br />What initiatives has Ms. Maczka put forth? On what staff decisions has Ms. Maczka differed and asked for specific reasons? <br /><br />Ms. Maczka does need the Coalition email list, but doesn't want people to know she's using it. She doesn't want the regular citizens to know she needs and wants the support of past elected officials who want to keep control. She doesn't want regular citizens to know that support perpetuates allowing staff to choose the one way they wish the Council to act, rather than offering several choices for the Council's decision. <br /><br />Think about this: Plano is twice our size. Their executive management staff consists of a City Manager and two Deputy City Managers. That's THREE people.<br /><br />Richardson with barely a one hundred thousand population has a City Manager, a Deputy City Manager, and three Assistant City Managers. That's FIVE people.<br />Does Richardson really need TWO more highly paid executives to run Richardson's city government than Plano needs to run theirs? It doesn't take a genius to answer that question. But was staff publicly questioned on the necessity of hiring additional executives and what their salary and benefit costs to the City would be?<br /><br />I didn't hear any of those questions. That's because there weren't any. And that's just one of the reasons why having the City run in the same old way by people with the same old ideas needs to change.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6970352414722890324.post-4106388157585322932012-12-23T12:06:58.206-06:002012-12-23T12:06:58.206-06:00>What strike me when going over the list of tho...>What strike me when going over the list of those supporting Omar is that his endorsement list contains a bigger list of just “normal citizens” of Richardson rather than a list of who the connected insiders are in Richardson politics. <br /><br />Agreed!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com