A Very Bad Sign.

My day started with a call from a supporter who had accepted one of my yard signs.  She left me a message to say that it seems the wind or the rain must have blown my yard sign away.  The wire stand was still in the ground, but the sign was gone.  The sign from one of my competitors, Manny Espinoza, must have been sturdier.  It was still there.  Furthermore, my supporter observed, a yard sign for Roxy Ross, which had been across the street, was also gone.  Elsewhere on 119th Street, not far from where my supporter lives, signs for Roxy and David Coviello, were gone.  Only a sign for Manny Espinoza remained.  A block away, at 119th and 9th, Roxy Ross' sign and my sign were gone, and only Noah Jacobs' remained.

Last Sunday, I replaced a sign on 111th Street.  By Monday, a day later, the replacement was gone.

Today, Noah Jacobs sent around a plea for assistance from whoever is on his circulation list.  He wants "walkers and talkers," and he adds that he's "being accused of things [he's] never done nor would [he] do."  Without his supporters' help, he pleads or admonishes, Biscayne Park "will end up with Commissioners that none of us want."

Among candidates Noah would like to accuse of something or other, there is probably no one as outspoken as I am.  I have never said an out of the way or criticizing word about Noah during my campaigning, nor would I, nor do any of the others, as best I can tell.  We all have enough to do to explain our own positions about the issues.  No one asks me about other candidates, and I don't discuss them, either to criticize them or to praise or support them.

So either people are inexplicably telling Noah something that is in no way true, or Noah is telling his circulation list, and anyone else who reads what he writes, something that is in no way true.

As for the Village ending up with Commissioners Noah deems unwanted by any BP residents, could I take the liberty to suggest that that is Noah's distorted and self-serving opinion?  Is it possible that Noah is so frantic that he resorts to this kind of misrepresentation because the Village already has some Commissioners people don't want?  The fact is, everyone running for office feels he or she is more desirable, or has more to offer, than others running.  Why else would anyone run?  Is it really necessary to try to whip people into a frenzy of antipathy toward unnamed evil-doers, just to make the case that one should be elected, or re-elected?  Is Noah's best argument for why people should vote for him that his competition is toxic to the neighborhood, or at least that no one would want them?  And is he having to tell people that they don't want his competition, because he thinks people are too stupid to decide that for themselves?

I can't help but think back to Gaspar Gonzalez's column, in which he wrote about the friendliness and the spirit of cooperation and single-mindedness of purpose of BP residents.  He said it was the reason he chose to live here.  Or the argument made by Barbara Watts and Steve Bernard, as to why we shouldn't have combined the BP election with the general election: it would take that small town, quaint, friendly feeling out of the campaign and election process.

It appears Noah isn't in line with me, with most of the other candidates, with Gaspar, with Barbara, with Steve, or perhaps with anyone.  He seems to be cultivating a rogue position from which he resorts to anything and takes swipes at anyone.  Maybe at everyone.  He never tells us who he believes, or alleges, "accused [him] of things."  I'm reminded of Noah himself, too, and his comment about being nothing more than reactive.  There is no agenda, no purpose, only reaction.  Friendliness?  Spirit of cooperation?  No, I wouldn't think so.  More like pervasive disdain, divisiveness, underhandedness, and dishonesty.

I guess it's going to be a long week and a half until the election.