http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2007/10/03/opinions/letters/letters01.txt
Editor:
To the residents of the 3rd Ward and DeKalb:
I would like to clear up some of the misperceptions that people have of me.
First and foremost, I am not anti-gay. I believe that people have the right to live their lives and not be discriminated against, no matter what sex, race or religion they are. I know that the infamous campaign flier that was sent in April implied just the opposite. The flier was not an accurate account of who I am. The people who created the flier obviously believed they were supporting me. I would argue that's not so. I believe they didn't care who won as long as it wasn't my predecessor.
Secondly, I am getting some negative feedback for voting to spend dollars downtown. I believe that the downtown is important for the community. We all need a place where we can go to shop and eat with our neighbors. I doubt that people feel that way when they shop at the big box stores on Sycamore Road. This ball was rolling long before the other new aldermen and I took office. We are trying to keep the positive momentum going. I'm not saying that DeKalb will be the next Naperville, but I believe that most of the people in this community would like to have something similar.
Next, there's a perception that I have been bought and paid for by builders and developers. This is far from the truth. The majority of my supporters don't have anything to do with construction. Yes, I do sell architectural precast. But I don't have any customers within miles of here. I believe that development, whether commercial or residential, is vital to the success of our community. I also believe that overdevelopment can be just as harmful.
Lastly, I would just like to say that I'm trying to do the best I can for every resident of this community. I don't have all of the answers, and not everyone is going to agree with or like me. I've learned to accept these facts, as hard as it may be. I don't think any person walks around wanting people to not like them. That's not human nature. It is, however, a truth in politics.
I believe that DeKalb is moving in the right direction and together we can keep making it a great place to raise families.
VICTOR WOGEN
3rd Ward alderman
DeKalb
Editor:
To the residents of the 3rd Ward and DeKalb:
I would like to clear up some of the misperceptions that people have of me.
First and foremost, I am not anti-gay. I believe that people have the right to live their lives and not be discriminated against, no matter what sex, race or religion they are. I know that the infamous campaign flier that was sent in April implied just the opposite. The flier was not an accurate account of who I am. The people who created the flier obviously believed they were supporting me. I would argue that's not so. I believe they didn't care who won as long as it wasn't my predecessor.
Secondly, I am getting some negative feedback for voting to spend dollars downtown. I believe that the downtown is important for the community. We all need a place where we can go to shop and eat with our neighbors. I doubt that people feel that way when they shop at the big box stores on Sycamore Road. This ball was rolling long before the other new aldermen and I took office. We are trying to keep the positive momentum going. I'm not saying that DeKalb will be the next Naperville, but I believe that most of the people in this community would like to have something similar.
Next, there's a perception that I have been bought and paid for by builders and developers. This is far from the truth. The majority of my supporters don't have anything to do with construction. Yes, I do sell architectural precast. But I don't have any customers within miles of here. I believe that development, whether commercial or residential, is vital to the success of our community. I also believe that overdevelopment can be just as harmful.
Lastly, I would just like to say that I'm trying to do the best I can for every resident of this community. I don't have all of the answers, and not everyone is going to agree with or like me. I've learned to accept these facts, as hard as it may be. I don't think any person walks around wanting people to not like them. That's not human nature. It is, however, a truth in politics.
I believe that DeKalb is moving in the right direction and together we can keep making it a great place to raise families.
VICTOR WOGEN
3rd Ward alderman
DeKalb
3 comments:
So, Wogen already forgot what he promised months ago:
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2007/04/12/opinions/letters/letters08.txt
I applaud him for doing what he said he would do. However (and supporters don't attack me for bashing him...just giving my opinion) I wish he would have covered a bit more about what he has accomplished and what he plans on doing. Since, unfortunately, many people, feel that he does need to PROVE that he can be a valuable asset to the community. But yet again, he has not come forward with his accomplishments or plans as of yet, which is what I was hoping to see in his editorial.
Hopefully, we will continue to hear from him in the future. And Wogen supporters who are close to him...Please let me know that we would like to hear about what kinds of projects he has completed and what types of things he is planning on in the future! And no, I don't need to sit down with him personally (have done in the past and have no issue with sitting face to face with him), but this knowledge should be made public and available to everyone. (I wish Victor would start his own blog...it would be helpful to everyone. And he can set it so no one can comment, to avoid problems!) Just my thoughts!
Okay ... where does this leave yours truly? Not that you particularly care, but it stands to reason that folks who know I met with Victor want to see if my views have changed.
Here's where I stand ...
I am never going to be "happy" that Wogen let his personal moral compass slip when he lied about the flier. However, I cannot stay furious for the next four years ... that's not good for my health, and I won't risk my health over any alderman, anywhere.
I can say that I will always be a bit skeptical (and I told him this when we met) of his views and votes, simply because of that.
However, it does me no good to not let him redeem himself. Meeting his own two-week deadline for writing that letter showed me that he can keep a promise.
We can argue that he didn't keep his original promise to Ms. Loubere, and I told him that, regardless of why he didn't write the editorial that he promised, it gave the appearance of lying (he understood).
But, in order to make amends for anything someone does in the past, it does require people, like me, and you, to not approach with minds completely closed.
If you're never, ever willing to let him have a chance to show that he is not what we have said his is, then what's the point in demanding editorials, receipts, proof, etc? If nothing he says can make you feel better, then why ask him to say anything at all?
Do I feel better? Not completely, but I know that I won't ever completely feel comfortable, unless and until we see more of the voting record, and see more of the decisions he's making on our behalf.
I am willing to say that whatever I have posted in the past is, obviously, on the record ... and is still in the record. My thoughts, anger, and frustration as those posts were written are real. And they should stand as a reminder of how angry I have been over this.
I'm willing to let him show me that he can do the job. I know, if it were me in that position, I would ask all of the voters in the Third Ward for some patience as I learn the ins and outs of city government. It is one thing to sit here, in the cheap seats, and another to actually be out on the field, playing.
I'm willing to accept that he believes that what he is voting on is what's best for the city, in his opinion. I'll offer my thoughts if asked, or if I really feel strongly about an issue.
One of the mistakes that people have made, especially as I have learned more and more about the representative form of government, is that we generally don't vote for people because they will vote the way we want, because we say so.
What we do is support the candidate whose views most closely mirror our own ... so that we feel fairly confident that they will vote the way we would want them to on the issues that matter most to us. That's why we only need to contact our elected officials when they are planning to vote in a manner inconsistent with what we feel. For everything else, you assume that the matching values will result in a vote that matches your feelings on the subject.
So, I'm willing to say that I'm looking forward from this point on. I will judge on the merits of what Wogen is doing, what he is not doing, what he is saying, and what he is not saying.
That's how I want to deal with this. I'm not "selling out" ... I have not become Wogen's best buddy, but, just like last night at DHS, when I see him, I will be polite and cordial. If he calls me up to chat, I will talk with him. If he wants my advice or opinion, I will share it ... pointedly, candidly, and honestly ... just as I did two weeks ago.
I will not forget what happened in the past, but I also am not interested in carrying a hateful and unproductive grudge against anyone for the next four years.
You folks here are welcome to carry whatever you like. I'm going to try and be helpful, and maybe a royal pain in the arse for Victor at times.
But ... I'm going to try and get him to see things differently when I think he's on the wrong side of an issue. And you cannot do that hiding behind a keyboard, refusing to speak with or e-mail him, or sitting in the cheap seats booing.
He's not required to take a vote amongst us, and he's not required to do everything we ask, even though we may dilude ourselves into thinking that he must.
We sometimes have posted like the privileged elite, who are accustomed to getting their own way every time out. I'm guilty of that, as well.
I hope to do better in the future by realizing that not every answer will be "yes", and not everyone in the ward agrees with the way I feel. And that I need to be okay with that, even when I'm not.
Brien
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