The board game Game of Life as we know it today was originally published in 1960. My edition at home is from the year ca. 2000, and it certainly shows its age in terms of social norms. Nevertheless, there is one square that is as germane today as it was in 1960: Run for Mayor, get a life card.
I got that life card back in 2020 as part of the steering committee for Question D that sought to undo the four-member at-large delegation on the county council, a delegation that any activist will tell you is a voting rights violation. Although we lost, I personally gained so much by meeting so many people—for and against the referendum, Democrat and Republican, young and old—who are motivated, savvy, and have a whole lot to offer to public life. (I also learned that, as our committee chair said, there are other ways to win than at the ballot box. I remain convinced that council members Sayles, Balcombe, and Mink owe their positions to the Question D referendum.)
As the Question D committee was navigating the supporting and opposing views, we never, ever, accused anyone of being a transphobe. Or a homophobe. Or even a hypochondriac. We never turned down an opportunity to make our case in front of an audience, hostile as it may be.
Compare that with Laura Stewart’s reaction to an invitation to appear in a forum with new contender Brenda Diaz, a reaction that was captured in this Clean Slate MoCo post.
Does Clean Slate MoCo post incendiary, transphobic, and race-baiting posts as Ms. Stewart claims? Here are a two I found quickly that indicate otherwise:
(There are probably others; I can’t say I read all of the posts.)
Here is where Ms. Stewart misfires: her thinking is if you act, think, look, and vote like I do, let’s get coffee. If you deviate from my orthodoxy, you’re a transphobe. Evan Glass doesn’t behave like that; Republicans don’t behave like that; Democrats don’t behave like that; libertarians don’t behave like that; and legalize-cannabis stoners during periods of sobriety certainly don’t behave like that. District 2 contender Brenda Diaz, as level-headed as she is determined, doesn’t behave like that. Any good campaigner takes the opportunity to deliver a message, gain support, and make compromises to get that support.
Stewart is endorsed by an unpopular teachers’ union that betrayed its members during the Beidleman scandal. I’m not sure Stewart has the luxury of alienating anybody, and she would do her campaign a favor by toning down the invective and turning up the charm. In the meantime, I’m certainly attending the joint forum to hear what all the candidates have to say about MCPS in general and the students in particular. (You should as well, so register here.) I’m certainly looking forward to hearing from Brenda Diaz, whose platform and temperament are what our students need more than anything else.
