Publisher's Note: Why MODE Weekly Endorses Steve Reed

Publishers Note
Commentary by Scot Giambalvo

Why MODE Weekly Endorses Steve Reed

If you live in the city of Harrisburg, and you don’t vote, you’re an idiot.

If you live in the city, and you do vote, MODE Weekly encourages you to vote for Mayor Steve Reed and his endorsed candidates as they appear on Page 9 of this issue.

Why vote for Steve Reed again?

Well, if his 20 year track record doesn’t speak for itself, vote for Steve Reed because he isn’t dragging the tired black vs. white race controversy unnecessarily into the elections. Vote for Steve Reed because he isn’t playing racist psychological games with the citizens of Harrisburg. Vote for Steve Reed because he’s color blind.

I am dismayed and appalled that anyone, much less a mayoral candidate, would stoop to kindling those very negative feelings and behavior that the African-American community so desperately fights every day. If a candidate can’t run on his or her own merits, then they plainly shouldn’t be running.

Yet, I guess certain candidates feel it’s okay to say “If you’re black vote for me because I’m black. We’re brothers and sisters!” in a society that would crucify a white person for doing the same. Sad, isn’t it?

Let’s say for a minute you’re not black or white, you’re skin color is green. Everybody else is either purple, blue, or orange, or plaid, but you’re green, and that’s it.

Running for bigshot in your little hamlet is the incumbent, a purple woman (purple is the predominant skin color) and a green man. You identify with the green man. Sure he’s had some controversy in his past, lack-luster performance on the hamlet council, etc., but hey, he’s green, so are you, and he promises to do a good job, so there’s a bond there, right?

Absolutely.

Now, the purple woman is kinda plain. She grinds away late hours at her hamlet bigshot desk, and she’s a penny-pinching woman who lives a modest, quiet life, and she’s been the hamlet bigshot for years and years and years.

Now, discounting your color and the candidate’s color, think about the mechanics of electing a new hamlet bigshot. What happens if you elect the incumbent again? She keeps on doing what she’s done for years and years and years. She’s predictable. What happens if you elect somebody new? They fire everybody they don’t like, hire all new people, friends mostly, not necessarily competent, and usually at higher salaries. They inevitably change how everything is done, causing general unrest and inefficency as the administration settles in. Most of all, they create additional spending that is usually unbudgeted and unaccounted for until it’s apparent that they need to raise taxes.

That’s not a scenario. That’s a pretty widely accepted practice.

In closing, I pose only two questions: Does the color of a person’s skin honestly factor in to whether or not that person will do a good job as an elected official? And, are you, as a voting African-American residents in the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, willing to take the chance just to find out?

Appreciate today for its delight... and, as someone very famous once said, live in
day-tight compartments. :-)

Scot Giambalvo

P.S. Please remember to vote, Tuesday, May 15th, and to visit MODEweekly.com for a list of voting locations and services that will give rides to those without transportation.