Register Star profile of 11th Ward race

Well, based on what the three 11th Ward candidates had to say in the Register Star today, there is a clear choice: Independent James Bryan Latham.

Of the three, he's the only one that mentioned doing what is best for the ward.

For those of you who were at the Heartland forum, did anyone else think the bizarre manner in which "Democrat" Karen Elyea spoke was indicative of long-term buzz-chasing? I'm thinking she might have a closet freon-huffing habit, but I can't be sure. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I can't bring myself to trust this shifty chica. Sorry, Nurgle, I know you've gotta live with her. My condolences.

And I don't mean to insult a reader, honestly. Please understand that I don't care what someone does for a living.

No one knows better than me that not all of life's pleasures are legitimate. After all, my welcome mat says, "Come back with a warrant."

Hypothetically speaking, I would favor a candidate who'd get involved with the political system in order to change unjust laws. However, if that candidate were to engage in politics simply to corner a market in an area, I'd have a problem with that, especially if their business involved children. Luckily, there's no one like that around here, right?

Elyea's stated biggest issue in the race was just a simple rehash of Doug Block's platform, going as far as to actually say, "Now is the time to get back to the basics," a Block catch-phrase. Elyea's been humping lots of union legs to ride the Block coattails while the gettin' is good. But I suspect she'd pledge her loyalty to anyone who will help her get an elected job that pays $12,000, instead of the $7,500 one she has now on the county board.

Latham, 44, is the executive director of the Total Health Awareness Team, or THAT, president of the Midtown District Inc, and owner of Midtown Marketplace. Talk about a guy with his hand on the pulse of everything in the 11th Ward.

You can't deny drugs and prostitution are issues in that ward, and when the two mix, even worse problems emerge. While needle exchanges in the neighborhood may not be something for residents to brag about, the need for such a program is clearly justified there.

One might argue having a needle exchange in the the 11th Ward attracts the dope addicts to the neighborhood, but the simple fact is that the problem was already there. That's not to say there isn't some design behind why the drug markets appear to be tolerated in certain areas of the city.

Drug dealers and pimps seem to make sure subsidized cops don't disrupt their business as long as no shots are fired. Driving around the city, we all see areas obviously infested by the criminal element - and they appear to be permitted and even corralled within areas that nice, rich folks pretend don't exist.

In places like that, the cops seem to just drive by the obvious criminal activity being done out in the open. If they really wanted to establish a presence, they'd park their squad cars wherever the ne'er-do-wells gather. But if they did that, there's the possibility the crime would move to where those nice, rich people live instead, and we wouldn't want that.

Another independent candidate, Wade Hendrickson, targeted wasteful spending in City Hall as the big issue. Yes, that's a problem, but how will you adress the issues unique to the 11th Ward?

Simply stated, vote Latham.