Elections

Tomorrow is Alexandria's Democratic primary, and it's a doozy. Fourteen candidates in a fight for six City Council seats: this is a situation where voters need to be informed in order to walk into the voting booth and make any kind of decision at all.

I have opinions on most of the issues: education (as always), the development of the waterfront (hot button issue this year), affordable housing, where we should be spending our money, the arts and the city's support thereof... No one candidate is going to agree with me on all of these--much less six of them. And so, I am combing through their resumes, reading their answers to questions, looking at their records (if there are any), and thinking about my impressions when I've met them or heard them speak.

I have arrived at this very subjective checklist that I am willing to share with candidates.

• The articulate candidate gets my attention. If you are well-spoken and know how to put together a cogent sentence or two that conveys your thinking, I'm willing to listen, and perhaps be persuaded. 
• If I have seen you out and about, talking to citizens...good for you. You have an ear to the ground and might just have a clue as to what your constituency is saying. 
• Practical experience is a plus as well. Educators know education; transportation specialists know transportation; planners know the steps in getting things done. The Council doesn't need anyone on it who doesn't have some sort of expertise on at least one of the issues, or who is unwilling to be educated. 
• The ability to work with those with opposite views gets big points with me as well. Nobody gets their own way all the time. Compromise and negotiation are vital skills.
• I don't vote for a person's ethnicity or school ties or family or longevity or even specific party affiliation. I don't like voting for someone whose tactics to get elected are less than honorable. The way you treat an opponent tells how you treat people in general. Likewise, dishonesty in one area leads me to suspect dishonesty in others. Be upstanding. I don't want to be ashamed of someone I've voted for.
• I do cast a serious look at who has endorsed you. The recommendation of any person I respect and who has served their community well carries weight. 
• I look for dedication, for someone who is willing to put their time and effort where their constituency's interests lie. If I give you my vote to be my representative, I expect you to represent me.

All that being said, I am making my list and checking it twice. I may not know who is naughty (demerit given) or nice (a much-neglected quality that I like in a candidate), but I do know which candidates will have my vote in their stockings tomorrow.