MASON CITY – There will likely be no debates held in this year’s elections in Mason City. There will likely be no interaction whatsoever between the candidates, except through the media, each with a supposed “one-sided story” where the reader (or listener) is left to scramble for truth.
The incumbents refuse to meet the challengers; that much is for certain. They have made it clear they are above the “discourse.” The challengers, all citizens of Mason City, have been cast aside by the “old media” and their own elected representatives.
Debates and town hall meetings are not for the candidates, it is said. Those events are for the people, so they can make the best decision possible in the voting booth. This year in Mason City, the people are on their own and must weed through all the name-calling and innuendos to make up their minds.
It didn’t use to be this way, even as previous city elections had a “nasty” tone to them. Through this organization or that, the “old media” held these public events, for the people, so they could make their decision.
This year, a weak or non-existent effort has been made to put the candidates in the same room to answer questions. Only one candidate, Matt Marquardt, openly called for a face-to-face debate with the incumbents. They refused or did not answer the challenge. That much, as well, is on the record.
There was an effort by the NIACC student senate to hold a debate. A local radio station and TV station were called and asked to participate. Both refused.
The Mason City Chamber of Commerce was asked to hold a debate, or if they planned one. The organization said they have no plans to do so in this election, despite having a long record of holding such events.
The Globe Gazette has participated in the past, as the following video will show their reporter, John Skipper, as far back as 2001 asking questions of candidates. He is now above the discourse as well, apparently, and is sticking to writing opinion articles.
Mason City mayoral candidate Max Weaver was featured in a world premiere video last evening in New York City. The video is part one of a 12-part series titled “How Democracy Works Now” produced and directed by filmmakers Michael Camerini and Shari Robertson.
The following video snippet is about 4 minutes of a one hour segment featuring the 2001 City Council At-Large race between Max Weaver and Lori Henry, who has since left town, but won the 2001 election. The video shows a town hall meeting / debate between several candidates for office at City Hall. The hot-button issue at the time was immigration, with accusations of racism tossed about.
“Mason City had attracted national attention when the immigration argument broke into the public square, then made it onto the CBS Evening News,” a synopsis of the video said. “A national anti-immigration organization, Project USA, had enlisted local grandmother Janice Easley to maneuver their Truthmobile into the high school band parade. All of a sudden the issue of immigration is at the center of the city council race.”
Perhaps the theme to remember is, Mason City politics has always been rough, but the candidates owe it to the citizens to face them, no matter what the issues are.
The Epidavros Project on Vimeo.
(Photos are taken from the above video; credit to the makers of the film.
