WATTS UP? - after I praised Joe Krovoza for having the best campaign lawn signs in a long, long time, candidate Daniel Watts wrote to ask 'You didn't like Jon's and my yard signs?' - not so far, my friend - 'They're constructed of a special high-tech material that renders them invisible.' - I just might vote for this kid -
The goal of every City Council candidate these days is to create a 'grassroots' image.
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From the get-go, crafting an image is important. In addition to being a grassroots kind of guy, you must claim to be running a bare-bones campaign that emphasizes issues over personalities. You must insist you plan to serve all Davisites, not just those who contributed to your campaign.
And when it comes to contributions, you must be sure they come only from Davis residents, with the exception of that twenty bucks from your mother who lives in North Dakota.
The image-crafting has been going on for some time now and we're starting to see some separation between the candidates.
Joe Krovoza is running as the all-around good guy in the race. Even people who disagree with him can't resist that toothy grin. He's reachable, capable, approachable, affable, reasonable and all other positive words that end in 'able.' If you want the boy next door running this city, Joe's your guy.
Sydney Vergis hasn't seen a problem in town that can't be solved by a good bicycle. She's young, enthusiastic, smart, creative and willing to roll up her sleeves and get the job done. Substitute 'jump in and get both feet wet' if it works better for you.
Rochelle Swanson is the savvy businesswoman who's a great organizer and, oh by the way, she's qualified to do a little lawyering if needs be. She's also capable of playing the bike-riding-mom card if necessary, but let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Jon Li is the Energizer Bunny of the campaign, a policy wonk who can intelligently talk issues and structure and governance until you drop dead from exhaustion. Only it's more than image with Jon. He's the real deal. He talks issues in his sleep.
And finally we have Daniel Watts, who has been in nearly every City Council race since the days of Davisville, though he's sometimes disguised as someone else.
One year he was J.J. Charlesworth, another year Rob Roy. No matter the name, he's a renegade, break-the-mold candidate who plans to win on sheer force of will. Forget low-budget, this guy is no-budget.
Daniel is a veritable Crusader Rabbit as he battles injustice, represents the underrepresented and defends the Constitution against all odds. He's the Ron Paul of Davis City politics, with just about the same chance of winning.
Image. Watch for it. Coming soon to a City Council race near you.
