McConnell for mayor
Maya Angelou apparently once said (or very close): “People don’t remember as much what you said, as how you made them feel!”
My overwhelming impression after watching the Chamber of Commerce Mayoral Candidate Forum was a lasting sense of swelling pride (like every time I hear him speak!) in Robert McConnell’s almost overwhelming intelligence, research, and commitment to strong principles.
But what brought up Ms. Angelou’s quote was a great revealing question toward the end (essentially): “If someone gave you one million dollars for Vallejo, how would you spend it?” His leading opponent rattled off a long list of general goals that any candidate would push (education, housing, safety, economic development, etc.), but Mr. McConnell essentially said that his first instinct would be to make the money grow with smart local investments, but then confessed he had to “listen to (his) heart,” and described the mid-600s of homeless in our community, and that he’d find a way to also make it grow by bulking up a coalition of people and nonprofits directly helping these poor people!
He also didn’t get hooked by the clear “race-baiting” question! When I believe asked if he’d make a point of hiring an LGBTQ person, he told the truth and said he’d choose the “most qualified for the position,” and opponents tried to make an issue of “the two white men” saying that. Well, well for your information: Mr. McConnell was an original member of the Solano County Stonewall (LGBTQ) Democratic Club — and I believe went to far more meetings than any other city council members! And, if you’ve seen his fantastic election flier, you’ve read his long history — since 2011 (long before the national explosion of BLM protests) of attempts at local police reform — usually blocked by the Jump Start (read: police union money) council members! In fact, eight of his 13 (way too many to list here) “Track Record” attempts are about just this!
I’ve always called him the “obvious brains on the council,” so it was quite heartwarming to hear this other crucial side of him!
Vote Robert McConnell for mayor: brains, vision and heart! — Barbara Gaea/Vallejo