Patti Garrett Receives Endorsements From Two Former ONA Presidents, One VP
Decatur Metro | October 20, 2009Allison Adams sends in this press release announcing three new endorsements for Patti Garrett’s District 2 city commission campaign.
October 20, 2009 – Decatur, GA – As Decatur’s election season heats up, increasing numbers of residents are gaining opportunity to meet, consider and choose their candidates. As they do, city commissioner candidate Patti Garrett is proud to confirm endorsements from three former Oakhurst Neighborhood Association (ONA) officers, including two presidents.
Speaking of her many hours spent working on ONA activities, former president Patrick Putnam summarized, “When I served as the President of the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association, Patti Garrett was one of our most active and involved volunteers. She regularly attended and contributed ideas during the ONA Meetings and volunteered to assist with virtually every event that the ONA sponsored. As I am certain that her proven dedication will continue on the City Commission, I am pleased to support Patti Garrett for City Commissioner.”
Brian McGonegal, who has also led the ONA, agrees. “I had the privilege to work with Patti on numerous events,” he said. “I have never seen anyone so committed to the community in which she lives. She and her husband Gary have an unbridled appreciation and enthusiasm for the Oakhurst/City of Decatur community. Patti is a role model for any community and would be an ideal candidate for City Commissioner.”
“These offers of support, especially from those who’ve invested so much time and energy of their own into the community, are testament to the grass‐roots nature that has characterized our campaign,” said Garrett. “I believe neighbors working together is the most valuable tool we have in community building and would be honored to assist such efforts as your city commissioner.”
Putnam and McGonegal are joined in their support by Eric Toole, who has served the ONA as both treasurer and vice‐president. Together, they further validate endorsements already received from Mayor Bill Floyd and retiring Commissioner Mary Alice Kemp.
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Isn’t this town small enough that we could do without the political endorsements and ruling families and all that? Isn’t the yard sign Monopoly game enough? This isn’t a criticism of any candidate–because everyone else does it, any particular has to do it too or everyone thinks they’re a loser. But really! I’m sure I could get the endorsement of the second cousin of the hair stylist for the former Treasurer of the neighborhood association of the second most fashionable neighborhood in Decatur if I really tried.
Sorry. That’s the way it is during campaign season. At least most of the races are run on relatively small amounts of campaign contribution and personal loans and folks don’t end up getting robo calls and TV spots!
As for endorsements – I think there is another way to look at it. If you don’t know the candidate that well, but you do know one of the folks who endorsed that candidate, you can go ask them why they’re supporting that person.
Snowflake, you made me chuckle out loud! I really must know right away–who are the ruling families?
You’re right, this is a small town, and IMO that means nobody had better take themselves too seriously, because they’ll surely get put in their place sooner or later. Maybe I’m way off base, but I read the whole thing as a little bit tongue-in-cheek on the part of the candidates (or their campaign managers, maybe). All of the endorsers who were mentioned made their support known weeks ago, so none of it was really news. Plus, I’ll bet “former officers” of the Oakhurst Neighbors Association are pretty thick on the ground in Oakhurst. So it was kind of like “I’ll see your former Pres and raise you another Pres and a VP!”
BTW, I think the yard signs are particularly interesting this year because it seems like you can see every possible combo of commission/school board support in various yards: Valarie and Kyle, Valarie and Patti, Rob Pope and Kyle, Rob and Patti, Rob and Fred, Valarie and Fred, Marc and Fred, etc.
Don’t forget Garrett! (Red sign)
You know, someone who just moved here could get real confused because Valerie and Patti’s signs are both light blue and Marc and James’s signs are dark blue and Garrett and Kyle’s have a lot of red in them. You could think these guys were running mates. Of course, Rob and Fred’s signs are unique so they must be loners. Excluding yards with no signs (party poopers!), I’d say that the average number of signs per yard is 1.45. There’s a fair amount of yards with two signs, often in predictable combinations, but more delightful when they’re not. Then there’s those real serious about the game who have 3 signs in their yard. I think it shows incredible attention to detail that no one (that I know of) has made the mistake yet of putting 4 signs in their yard. (I’m pretty sure that it’s mathematically impossible to vote for 4 candidates given the particular positions open).
Question: What IS the true purpose of yard signs? Is it to increase the name recognition? Or to influence through peer pressure–if everyone else on my street has a green sign, then it’s hard for me to put a yellow sign? Or get support through association–if anyone that cool is for the purple candidate, then I want to vote for purple? For a sense of belonging–I’m linking arms with all the other orange sign people? Given how many signs are out there, it seems like they ought to count for something! Maybe, in addition to an election, we could have a sign contest–e.g. best logo, best slogan, best overall sign for a candidate who lost, least number of signs for a candidate who actually won. Is there reality show potential here?
Re ruling families….well, if you don’t know already, then you must not be in the inner circle….
!
Now there’s a post…”An Expose on Decatur’s Ruling Families.” Although no one would comment on it.
Snowflake, the yard signs serve several purposes, all equally valid depending on who you are. They may sway indecisive voters who are not able or willing to do the research but still want to participate by voting. My friends and neighbors who do not have children in the school system may not stay current on school board issues, but they know that I have kids in the system and they trust what I think about it. So they say, “I’ll vote for whomever you tell me to vote for”–whether or not that’s a good strategy, it’s still one that people use. It’s also about name recognition. A lot of people in Westchester and Clairmont areas know who Rob Pope is, but getting some strategic signs in Winnona Park or Oakhurst helps the campaign by furthering his name recognition. (I agree that Rob’s signs are the cutest.)
I don’t think it’s so much about peer pressure or igniting neighborhood wars. But I think particularly Decaturites like to tell everyone else what they think, and yard signs are a great way to do that! For the record, I have three signs in my yard.
And I agree that seeing the different combos, while confusing for the less-informed voter, is particularly fun!
Related bit in today’s AJC, from former ATL Mayor Sam Massell:
He’s fond of saying, “He who has the most yard signs wins” in local elections. He still believes that’s true even in a day when it can be hard to have a conversation with three people without one reaching for her Blackberry.
Yard signs, Massell reasons, translate into direct support and votes and also increase name identification.
“A sign in a yard is an endorsement from 2 1/2 people,” Massell said. “It affects passersby as well. Yard signs can be very effective.”
The link: http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/mayoral-hopefuls-try-social-168753.html
By the way, I actually found a 5-sign yard! It’s the small apartment building at the northwest corner of Scott and Clairemont. I was able to detect two Radford signs, a Marc sign, another candidate’s sign who I don’t remember, and I was through the intersection before I could read the fifth sign. Maybe we are supposed to indicate level of enthusiasm with the number of signs we post in our yards? I.e., if I will vote for a candidate, that’s one sign; if I donated money, that’s two of their signs; if I’ll leave Decatur if they lose, that’s three signs for them, etc. Or maybe individual tenants of the building are voting in which case I’ve identified a rabid Radford den.
One of them is for Fred Boykin. I guess the complex is covering their bets?
And how do you think I feel. My wife and I are both former ONA presidents, and since we moved to District 1 nobody ever asked us for our endorsements. Wah!
On the serious side, a couple people have asked me my opinion because they just don’t keep up with the issues (not because people care or are swayed by what I think.) So I agree that word of mouth and casual endorsements by friends and neighbors are important when we’re only talking about dozens of votes separating candidates.
And don’t think because we’re a small town that these decisions aren’t important. Annexation, historic designation, school budgets, etc have a significant impact on your family and your finances.
I am endorsing Kyle & Rob. Because I am Nelliebelle. Kyle is adorable and Rob has cute signs.