The Way I See It!

Mayor Ryan McCue and the Debate

Posted by Randy Hollenbeck on Feb. 8, 2010

2010 Election, Cudahy, Election, Mayor, McCue, Debates

I went down to City Hall Monday, February 8th 3:30pm to ask the Mayor if he was attending the debate this Friday and he is unsure.

First, he asked me why I picked Friday.  When I talked with McCue on the phone Thursday evening February 4th, 2010 he checked his schedule and told me that Monday February 8th worked or Thursday February 11th worked or Friday February 12th work, but Tuesday or Wednesday would not.  (See why I like email and being in print!)

Of course, he didn’t remember Friday was an okay day.  Do you think if I picked (which was really worked out with the other two candidates which days they were free within McCue’s open days) Thursday he would have asked why I picked Thursday?

He has an issue with the format in that he doesn’t think it is fair in its structure.  He doesn’t like the panelist format as a fair option.  There is no rule, per se how a debate has to be!  He has never been to a debate like this.  It is unconventional I said, but it is fair and allows all of Cudahy to be represented.  Business Owner, Home Owner, and Renter!  What is on the voters' minds is the most important issues!

Nor does he like the crossfire part.  He feels it will be the same questions regurgitated over and over.  He has never seen a debate in this format before and told me to watch how the professional debates are done.  Again, it is unconventional and he doesn’t like it because of that.  I even gave him the option to pick the renter panelist.  McCue told me he doesn’t know any renters.  (Do you believe that????   If you do I have a bridge to sell ya.  With almost 50% of Cudahy residents as renters, if true, what does that say about McCue?) 

He doesn’t like the Business Owner selection since they have had City issues in the past.  So the selection has to be someone who has not an issue with the city?  Isn’t that biased against those with city issues?  Someone is never totally unbiased!  I don’t like absolutes!  He kept on saying they need to be from outside Cudahy!  Do people from outside Cudahy get to vote?  Why not hear from Cudahy people what Cudahy people want to know?

How does the Mayor, the Common Council and all of the Commissions and Committees push there personal feelings aside?  They must have special powers that McCue thinks cannot be bestowed on to Cudahy residents and business owners!  You see what you want to see!

Maybe McCue is so used to going outside Cudahy for things, and I am not just talking about Sendik’s in Franklin or the Franklin Wal-Mart, but for the best and brightest.  Again, those people are not voting!  You have to live in Cudahy to vote here, so it should be the people of Cudahy asking the questions biased or not!  Is he afraid of what the Cudahy citizens have to say?  There needs to be a real frank and honest discussion about the direction of the city by the citizens to the candidates.  Remember the citizens are the Mayor’s boss!  The Mayor is accountable to the citizens, so the citizens should ask the questions on their minds.

He doesn’t like the length of time.  An hour and half is too long.  He thinks you should get up and give your shpeal and would like one moderator asking the three candidates questions.  Then go home. 

Did you know they did that at the Cudahy Chamber of Commerce already?  Did we get an invite?  I know I didn’t even know about it and it was at lunch time I think! This is a disservice to both the voters and the candidates.  If you want to get as many people as possible to attend a gathering….Hold the gathering when people are most likely to attend….

He wants the League of Women Voters to do it, but they are doing the March debate at the Kelly Center.  We don’t have much time, remember the Kelly Center was suppose to host the event for the primary election and then something happen and it got moved to the general election.  McCue did tell me without me saying anything that he had nothing to do with the date change.

He wants only unbiased, nonpartisan people.  That is impossible, people lean one way or another, and McCue said we could find former Mayors from outside of Cudahy to be the panelists.  Again with outside people!

He kept saying this was my debate, and I kept telling him it is the community’s debate of which all of Cudahy is represented.  I did leave out a group and that is city workers.  I am sorry and if we had more time, I would have loved to hear from someone, maybe Brian, or Swags.

He feels that we will not have a high attendance and I feel if 20 people come that is 20 more people informed than not.

The other two candidates are not crying foul and are fine with the format, the day, the length or the panelists.  Never run for public office if you need to be loved by everyone!  That's Management 101.

McCue then wanted to know why couldn’t the panelists give their questions to the moderator?  So it sounds that it is the delivery of the question and not the panelists, but then he said he didn’t like the idea of the panelists.  Sounds like semantics and backpedaling.

A Mayor needs to be seen and heard.  If he doesn't show, we will just have an empty chair with his name on it...but I hope he does.  It only helps Cudahy and its voters and that is what matters!

We need to listen to the questions, ideas and the concerns of the people who matter the most, the citizens of Cudahy and they get to vote!

Oh, and to the people that say I am making this up, just ask the Police Chief, he was there watching.  There's no denying it was riveting to watch and we had the whole office watching.

If pictures speak a thousand words, video speaks a million, and then in person face to face is a trillion!

Challenges are what make life interesting: overcoming them is what makes life meaningful...