Letter to the Editor: Bellows for Mayor? Do Your Homework

Letter to the editor:

In his letter to the editor, Mr. Bryan Bartz recently gave us a list of six questions to use in evaluating our mayoral candidates. I used the questions and came up with the following:

First point: Party? My initial reaction was this should not matter as our city Mayor is not supposed to be political, and work for the good of all of us. However then the difference in the parties’ views came to mind, Democrats want to make the pie bigger and in it all our slices become bigger. Republicans just want a bigger slice. Seems to me we all will be better off to make our pie bigger. This has worked for us in the past and our city prospered. However Mark Bellows is an extremist Republican / teapartyer focused on the upper class and low taxes. He calls it "to enhance the business climate" If he would instead enhance ordinary folks lives businesses would become automatically enhanced.

Second point: The record in office. In his 10 years as Councilmen Mark Bellows was often at odds with the council and the staff. However this was inconsequential, as he was the minority and was contained by the reasonable folks. Since he became Mayor his stance travels outside the council and started stubbing many ordinary citizens in town.

Third: Is the candidate equipped to handle the job? I don’t think so. He does not understand a good thing when he sees it, like the millions of dollars the liquor stores contributes to our town or what a wise long-term investment is.

He needed to create a whole new layer in the city government to answer his concerns and questions and thereby made more work for everyone. The numerous issues and questions he raises shows how he is groping.

He groundlessly directed the city departments to resubmit their budgets with decreases just to score political points. But how will we grow? Would Bellows as the pastor likewise direct his parishioners to decrease their contributions and then still expect his church to flourish?

Fourth: The question of "political career." Who can predict the future? Many people start in city government and then based on their education, talent and motivation move up. Mark Bellows has all the makings to become an other Jim Bakker or even Pat Robertson.

Fifth: Who is funding the candidate? Where does the money for the big signs come from (At $140 a piece and hundreds all over town)? In my 40 years in Lakeville I have never see any person running for Mayor needing so many and so big signs. It all becomes clear when you see Mark Bellows connection to the Koch Brothers' "Americans for Prosperity."

It forced Matt Little also into big signs. The difference is residents, citizens, voters and associations of local people support Little’s campaign, not corporations, outside money and billionaires.

And finally: Do you trust Mark Bellows? I don’t trust him to run our town. His vision is to give away the stake of citizens in order to cuddle what he calls "business." His thinks’ it is leadership to go backward.

It is concerning that he is participating in an organization known for its anti-social agenda and the dissemination of falsehoods. Will he be advancing their agenda as the mayor of Lakeville? I think it was low that he took advantage of the personal troubles of the former mayor to win the election against her last time. He came to power by negativity. Do we want a person as mayor who's mission it is to reform us to his standards?

I am supporting Matt Little. This uncontaminated young person is extremely smart, mature beyond his age and able to understand and deal with complex issues. He has already accomplished a lot for himself and for our town. Through him and with him we all will flourish and go forward. Enough of Bellows' Negativity.

Joe Niedermayr, Lakeville