TOWNSHEND — I am extremely disappointed in Rep. Richard Marek (D-Windham 5).
This has nothing to do with the fact that he has chosen not to run, nor do I have any extreme issues with how he has or has not represented the district over his tenure. My disappointment is in the timing of his announcement and the manner in which it was done.
We all know incumbents tend to win elections in Vermont. It might not have anything at all to do with a challenger's ability or lack thereof; it is just next to impossible to unseat an incumbent.
It really makes no sense at all to clutter one's life with politics if the odds of winning are next to nothing. None of us has any idea how many individuals might choose not to run for an office simply because of this fact.
So when an incumbent, for whatever reason, decides not to run for office, then - and really only then - do the voters see the full benefit of the election process. The field becomes wide open, and candidates then have an opportunity to run on their respective merits.
We don't have to compare the devil we know to the devil we don't. We, as voters, get to compare all-new faces, all- new ideas, all-new personalities and vote for the individual we believe will do the best job.
Rep. Marek's timing of his announcement does everyone in the district a great disservice. Announcing his intention not to run a mere two weeks before the deadline for filing petitions for placement on the primary ballot might well deprive the voters of a larger field of candidates.
Well, two weeks seems long enough, right? Not if you are a newcomer to politics.
Had he announced his decision earlier, potential candidates would have had a realistic opportunity to consider running for the seat and considerable time to gather signatures on their petitions.
I expect that this is true not only for those who would run on the Democratic ticket but also for Republicans, members of the smaller parties, and Independents.
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I happen to believe we really need some fresh candidates in this district. Set aside the difficulties an unknown individual might have gathering petition signatures and consider, just for a moment, the position that is available.
This job is not meant to be a livelihood. Ours is a citizen legislature, not a position in Washington, D.C. with a nice salary and many perks.
Oh, it is a great job if you are retired or not in need of a steady paycheck, but that rather limits the field of candidates - and, I suggest, not in a good way.
To run for this office, a person must look at one's entire life and see if, somehow, family and work life can be rearranged so one might actually perform the duties and still be attentive to personal needs.
Think about it in the context of your own life. Two weeks? To first decide if running is at all realistic in terms of your ability to properly allocate time to your family, to your employer, and to your constituents, and then, if you believe you can actually accomplish that, time to wander around gathering signatures for your petition?
The only people who can possibly accomplish such a task are people who have been just waiting for an opportunity to run for office. I don't know about you, but I have reservations about voting for someone whose only vision in life is being elected to office.
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How this announcement became public troubles me even more. I have read three articles: one in the Brattleboro Reformer, one on VTDigger, and one in The Commons. To paraphrase those articles: Richard Marek has decide not to run for another term, but don't worry: Emily Long will be happy to take the seat.
Why on earth would Rep. Marek endorse a candidate at the same time he announced he was not going to seek re-election? He should have made the announcement much earlier and, having done so, waited until all candidates had filed before deciding who, in his mind, was the best for the position.
Maybe there would not have been additional candidates or perhaps he would still feel that Ms. Long was the best candidate. However, it is possible that someone who was a much better candidate would have emerged from the woods to run for the seat.
This whole process seems to have the noxious odor of collusion. Any potential candidates still have to run against the incumbent and his hand-picked successor.
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Maybe, since Rep. Marek started his long history of service as an appointee, he just does not understand the nature of making a decision, for the first time, whether to actually run for public office in an open field, especially for people with a lot of responsibilities at home.
This is the only way I can forgive this misstep. He just does not know or understand.
The good people of Marlboro, Newfane, and Townshend have been cheated out of the right to have a selection of candidates for the first time in many years. We all deserve better; we definitely deserve better.
Perhaps there will be others on the ballot, but will we ever know how many more might have run with a little more time and a little less collusion?