How Quickly We Forget Campaign Promises

by: Bill Liblick

In a flash we usually forget campaign promises made during an election. So, I decided to do some research on the legislature races from four years ago to see what the candidates had to say. If you recall it was a very nasty campaign.

I know, many of us can’t even remember what we ate for breakfast yesterday, so how could I expect anyone to remember what we were promised in 2003.

At the time the Republicans held a 7-2 majority. The Democrats desperately wanted control of the legislature. They embarked on a mud slinging campaign that got very personal. Campaign promises were extensive. The two big races were in Districts 8 and 9.

It is now four years later. Guess what. The legislators who were successful in unseating the incumbents have reneged on the very campaign issues they were elected.

In this world of politics, should that be a surprise?  No, but there must be some form of accountability.

The big issue in 2003 was a halt to any expansion at the landfill. Added into the mix was the perennially popular “no tax increases” theme.

At the time, candidate Sam Wohl was seeking to unseat Jim Carnell, and Ron Hiatt wanted to oust Bob Kunis. Both men were successful in their efforts.

I just want to share with you how candidates will say one thing when seeking office, and do something else when elected. I am not in any way telling you whom to vote for. I happen to like Sam Wohl and Ron Hiatt, so it bothers me to point out what I discovered while reading old press clippings.

During the campaign back in 2003, Sam Wohl lambasted his opponent for voting a sales tax hike. “I never would have done that," Wohl said at the time. He even went as far to say, "A sales tax is an unfair tax aimed at the poor."

So, if a sales tax increase is “aimed at the poor” then why did Sam Wohl vote for one last year?

Ron Hiatt back in 2003 ran a no holds barred campaign attacking Bob Kunis on the landfill and its expansion. As far as I can see it, the landfill has grown since then. There still is no concrete plan on how we are going to deal with our garbage.

What I found equally interesting is that calls to put an end to closed-door political caucus meetings are nothing new. As you know, Legislature Chairman Chris Cunningham has been accused of this practice, as have all the other Democrats. Leni Binder and Jodi Goodman, the sole Republicans have claimed they have been shut out.

It was shocking for me to learn that when he was running in 2003, Hiatt levied the same accusations against the Republicans. He said at the time, “the legislature should hold more discussion in open committee and full board meetings. My opponent (Kunis) says caucusing, that's the American system. He may believe that, but I respectively disagree. The American system is open government. People have a right to know what's going on."

So if this is the case Mr. Hiatt, why didn’t you lead the fight to put an end to this practice?

Look - the bottom line is this. Candidates will often say and do anything to get elected, they think we forget. And, the sad part is, we do.

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