Over the last three months (and counting), Harrisburg citizens witnessed constant alterations to the official ballot of candidates for the mayoral election in November. From day to day and week to week, formal candidate announcements and complimenting news reports repeatedly verified the standing list of candidates competing for the post to lead the City of Harrisburg.
Two inseparable confirmations immediately followed the primary election on May 21, 2013. The one-term mayor, Linda Thompson (D), was voted out of office and Eric Papenfuse (D) received the plurality of Democratic votes.
Unanswerable confirmations prevailed for the four remaining mayoral hopefuls: Dan Miller (D), a Republican write-in candidate,Lewis Butts (D), a Democratic write-in candidate, Nevin Mindlin (I), an Independent candidate, and Nate Curtis (I), a “Curtis for Mayor” candidate.
To date, the only balloted candidates to compete against Eric Papenfuse is Dan Miller. For the remaining candidates, Nevin Mindlin is battling a judicial ruling and Nate Curtis withdrew his candidacy following a different judicial ruling.
Nevertheless, Young Democrats are faced with an unprecedented decision in the general election. Do you vote for Eric Papenfuse, the official Democratic nominee, Dan Miller, a Democrat who received the Republican write-in vote or Edwin Butts, a Democrat under a write-in campaign?
A political conundrum exists for Young Democrats. Consequently, Young Democrats need to weigh the importance of four decision criteria – party loyalty, political leadership, campaign promises and poll results – before electing the next leader of Harrisburg.
First, a party loyalist remains committed to the official recommendation of the Democratic Party. The Dauphin County Democrats and Dauphin County Young Democrats advocate the election of Eric Papenfuse who won the Democratic ticket in May. The importance of this criterion rests on the theme of unity, which strengthens activism and cohesion to establish a broader, synced voter base.
Political party disunity is prevalent at the state and national levels, and overcoming this alarming phenomenon requires local semblance. Consequently, Young Democrats need to “support” the official nominee who won the Democratic ticket in the primary election. (The term “support” is blatantly ambiguous and implies monetary donations, volunteerism, grass roots mobilization and/or peer education.)
Second, political leadership is undoubtedly a prominent criterion in any election. In the City of Harrisburg, the looming multi-million dollar debt in conjunction with a dismantled city government needs fresh, novel leadership to drive jurisdictional improvements.
Eric Papenfuse is a successful businessman who relishes smart management techniques to lead the city’s top office. Voters need to understand the implications of strong political leadership since the Mayor carries a four-year term with successive terms determined by the electorate. A candidate with the traits, skill set and integrity of proven leadership is necessary to address the known and unforeseeable challenges.
Third, voters need to acclimate themselves with the embodiment of a candidate’s campaign promises. The value of campaign promises is weighted less than the two aforementioned criteria since outcomes are nonexistent until the elected candidate assumes office. Nevertheless, the candidate’s campaign promises create a perceived, attainable future for the voter.
Knowledge of the current crises facing Harrisburg include, but not limited to, the debt burden, economic disinvestment, budget-stricken schools, deficient infrastructure and isolated criminal activity. Eric Papenfuse’s campaign provides well-rounded solutions to resolve these issues and more.
Finally, voters less accustomed to the issues and policy solutions tend to sway their opinions on the availability of poll results. Similar to the third criterion, the weight of poll results is less than party loyalist and political leadership. However, poll results carry an empirical, evidence-based snapshot of current voter opinion.
Until the November election, colleges/universities, media outlets and think tanks will question a sample of voters on their current choice for mayor. The results will alter from poll to poll and time to time. Differences arise from trending political campaign activities, successful and failed public policy acclamation (at the local, state or national levels) impacting societal behaviors and dissimilar social, political and/or economic values and beliefs of polled voters. The essence of this criterion is to create a launching pad for further investigation on why a poll result favors a candidate over another.
Altogether, the menu of decision criteria empowers Young Democrats with a profound awareness of how to make an informed decision for mayor. The Dauphin County Young Democrats align with Eric Papenfuse who encompasses the right attitude, strategy and moral compass to steer Harrisburg into a profitable, peaceful and successful city.
-This post was a contribution from a fellow DCYD member, if you wish to contribute to the blog feel free to email us at dauphincountyyoungdems@gmail.
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