Dayton Daily News backs the wrong candidate for Kettering City Council

Posted by DarthDilbert at 10/15/2009 07:34:00 PM

DDN has endorsed Amy Schrimpf and Frank Spolrich for Kettering City Council. Both Schrimpf and Spolrich are Republicans, but have not received the endorsement of the Montgomery County Republican Party. That endorsement, which was the only one given to candidates for Kettering City Council, went to Ashley Webb during a caucus meeting the evening of 6 October 2009.

During that meeting four candidates spoke: Ashley Webb, Amy Schrimpf, Debbie Waker, and then Frank Spolrich. Amy Schrimpf said that she was endorsed by Mayor Don Patterson as well as Peggy Lehner, two people I would not want to have supporting my candidacy. When Patterson was looking for our support several years ago, he spoke to us at a meeting at MCL Cafeteria. There had been rumors that he was looking to have the city income tax increased and he was questioned about it. He looked us each in the eye and promised that he would not seek any such increase in the city income tax. We later learned that to be a lie as he had the increase pushed through so that we would have the same rate as Dayton. Recently HB176 was before the state legislature. This is an unconstitutional piece of legislation which grants special rights to those with gender identity issues and those of different "sexual orientation." Lehner became an embarassing slobbering mess [1:00:38 through 1:05:58] as she made one excuse after another for her support of the bill which has cost her dearly in the support of my fellow Republicans. I and the others in the caucus meeting discussed these two factors when discussing the possible endorsement of Schrimpf. The other factor we discussed with regard to Schrimpf was a postcard she sent that was postmarked 26 September 2009. On the back of the postcard it says how she is endorsed by Patterson and that his wife is the Honorary Chair of her campaign. She then explains that because I supported Patterson several years ago, that she would direct her volunteers to place a sign in my yeard during the weekend of 3/4 October, and would then remove it shortly after the election on 3 November. She then gives the recipient an opt-out procedure to call her cell phone if I wouldn't like the sign placed in my yard. This was the sole contact I had from her. I had not received a phone call or email from her--only this postcard. I found it quite presumptuous to say the least that I, and others, would automatically support her just because we made the mistake of supporting Patterson several years ago. I was quick to then contact her to express my displeasure whereupon she then dismissed any responsibility blaming it on Patterson. That's real leadership if there was ever an example. I can assure you that when this was brought up it was quite an eye opening development with the others at the meeting. The postcard along with her support of Patterson and Lehner doomed any chances she had.

In addition, a couple days after the caucus meeting a source who was on the selection committee informed me that the only reason Schrimpf currently holds her City Council seat is that Patterson wanted a female to take over Lehner's seat. His first and foremost qualification was not if they possessed the necessary qualities to serve on the city council but that they were the same gender as Lehner. I doubt that in their in-depth research DDN learned of any of this. Were they outsourcing this to Rick Sanchez of CNN? Who's next, Debbie Lieberman? Also, there hadn't been any plans by the party to endorse any of the candidates running for Kettering City Council, but that didn't deter Patterson. He contacted the Party and requested that a caucus meeting be held to endorse two candidates for Kettering City Council with the interpretation that it would be merely a rubber stamp process and his candidate, Schrimpf, would be anointed. He quickly learned that was not the case, as she was resoundingly rejected along with Spolrich and Waker.

After Schrimpf spoke, Debbie Waker spoke with the group. She listed two main reasons as to why we should endorse her. First that she was active with the Republican Party while in high school -- twenty years ago; and that she was instrumental in having the income tax levy passed. Later when the candidates had left us to deliberate and make our decision when her name was brought up, there was muffled laughter in the room. You're pitch to us to ask for our vote was to advise us you were the driving force in raising our taxes? And if that wasn't bad enough, your other main reason was what you did for the party two decades ago? Sorry. Try again.

Frank Spolrich spoke last going on about how four years ago he was overwhelmingly endorsed by the party. The problem with that statement is that it is patently false. Mr. Spolrich, in the eloquent words of Congressman Joe Wilson, "You lie!" I was there at the meeting at MCL Cafeteria where you were endorsed, along with Patterson. It was not overwhelmingly whatsoever. There were several rounds of voting in which there was one tie after another. Finally, after one more round, you won by one vote. That doesn't qualify as being overwhelmingly endorsed by the party in any way, shape, or form you wish. The only time in which I had any contact whatsoever from Spolrich proir to the evening of 6 October was the meeting at MCL Cafeteria. I wasn't alone in this regard. None of us there had received any contact from him other than the ten seconds he spent passing a pamphlet around before the meeting asking us to simply read his information.

Of the four candidates, only one took the time to call several times as well as to come to my home and speak with me about their candidacy and why they should have my vote: Ashley Webb. Several of us stood to not only give personal endorsements of him, but to enthusiastically recommend that we as a Party endorse him. In the end I believe that Webb received the overwhelming endorsement of the party receiving nearly 80% of the vote. Schrimpf received only three votes; Spolrich received one, and Waker didn't receive any at all.

You will be able to meet the candidates for Kettering School Board and Kettering City Council candidates courtesy of the the League of Women Voters. The Kettering School Board candidates event will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, and the Kettering City Council candidates event will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 28. Both events will be held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 901 E. Stroop Road.

I am not only proud but honored to endorse Ashley Webb for Kettering City Council.