Why Not Ford?

The St. Petersburg TIMES published an article this Saturday entitled "This Ford Projects A Softer Image." The subtext posed the rhetorical question of speculating whether or not Kathleen Ford, the oppositional candidate to Bill Foster's bid to become elected mayor of the City of St. Petersburg, will overcome her past "reputation of blunt divisiveness." Having read the article and agreeing, for the moment, that Ms. Ford appears to be making a concerted attempt to project a far less controversial persona in her current continuing attempts to persuade the citizens of this fair city that should she become mayor her well documented savage bite shall be less frequent than her infamous bark, I am still, nevertheless, not willing to concede that this dog is yet capable of being untied from her leash.

The determination of whether Ms. Ford has the intellectual acumen and credentials to assume the mantle of mayor need not be in question. At issue, however, and perhaps currently the central lightening rod in comparing the two candidates in the campaign, her temperament for the position is. As Attila The Hun's well earned reputation proceeded him as he relentlessly pillaged and plundered those unfortunates who would oppose his quest for conquest, Ms. Ford's biting tongue and unquenchable ego has laid waste many an unwary person who would dare by omission or commission contradict her will; from fellow council members to staff clerk typist, Ms. Ford's quick temper recognized no boundaries as she repeatedly issued forth her visceral onslaughts. Even in Saturday's article, Ms. Ford issued a thinly veiled threat to those who, in her well ordered, score-keeping mind, "mislead" her, and further fanned the flames of divisiveness in the corridors of City Hall by urging city employees who allegedly support her candidacy "to keep quiet because they could face retaliation from the Rick Baker administration." Does this type of inventiveness sound even remotely like an individual who wishes to mend fences, seek common grounds of agreement, and move this city forward, or an individual who is paranoid, has an axe to grind, and a gigantic chip on her shoulder?

Citing her reliance on technology to solve social issues, Ms. Ford is apparently quick to dismiss Mr. Foster's moral compass that believes in the inherent good of mankind based on his Christan faith. Preferring to wield a quarrelsome litigious club, Ms. Ford would shelve constructive dialogue to resolve issues of city import and demand an allegiance to the letter of the law as she would chose to interpret. If conquering by division is one's idea of a progressive leader, then Ms. Ford is your girl.

I, on the other hand, regard Ms. Ford's candidacy as the serpent in the Garden of Eden, who slithered forth to convince the inhabitants of that fair burg that he alone could place them on the true path of wisdom. "Trust me," he entreated and soon thereafter all hell broke loose. Could the good citizens of St. Petersburg endure and perhaps even prosper with Kathleen Ford at the city's helm? Probably. But why in the world would one want to invite that same self-serving serpent back through the garden gate?

Recognizing how unfashionably incorrect it is to utter anything even remotely tinged with religious connotation, I will nevertheless venture out onto that precarious limb and offer a caution to those stalwart individuals who are looking for Ms. Ford as mayor to be the savior of their pet peeves; "For they sow the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind." Elect Kathleen Ford as your next mayor, if you must. But be prepared to hang on, dear hearts. It's going to be a very bumpy ride.