What is a vote for Polony worth?

This is not my first campaign, but it is my first candidacy. I have never experienced something with more ups and downs. Through all the thick and thin, I have kept my cool and pushed forward. I keep charging ahead because I realize this election is bigger than myself, it is about this town that we all call home.

I chose to sit out a recent forum because it was set up to drown out my ideas and opinions because it would be a slate of three against one. I have found it much more effective, and meaningful, to take my ideas directly to voters since I can have a more personal connection with them and actually hear their thoughts and ideas.
Your vote should be for more than just a policy, it should set a tone for elected officials and the community. No single group or party should control government at any level. Your vote and the winning candidate can ultimately set a tone for the elected officials and the community they serve. Election results can inspire. So with early voting about to start on Monday, March 18, I would like to take a moment to explain exactly what your vote for me would mean outside of the realm of public policy. It boils down to three things: your vote would inspire, involve and inspect.

First, your vote would inspire every age group. In fact, electing me to this office would surely inspire younger voters who are more likely to ignore politics. They would now feel represented and believe they too could make a difference. However, I have heard from others in every age group that my candidacy serves as an inspiration to everyone that they too can get involved in our political processes. The little machine that has ruled Glenview for 18 years has proven to be very effective at discouraging others from getting involved in the process. If people see that the one party stranglehold over our town is now broken, they will be more inclined to get involved themselves. It is never healthy for a democracy when an unknown group of people chooses the only slate of representatives you are allowed to vote for. A vote for me breaks the logjam and opens the gates for many new, diverse and bright individuals to run.

Second, your vote would do much more to involve new and fresh faces in the political process. It is always healthy when you involve new groups of people in the governing process. For too long Glenview’s decisions have all been made by a monolithic group of individuals. I would be giving a voice to everyone who currently feels unrepresented on the Village Board. If you are a part of a group that has no one you can relate to on the governing body, you are less likely to get involved. So a vote for me encourages more people to become involved in the political processes in Glenview.

Finally, your vote would mean an outsider will inspect local government. A vote for me gives Glenview its first independent trustee in decades. I will be beholden to no one other than the Glenview voters. A vote for me guarantees you have a watchful eye over all the decisions made by the Village Board. It is never a win for taxpayers when a monolithic group or party controls government. We need an independent eye questioning all spending, investments, and decisions that the board makes. A vote for me allows voters to carefully scrutinize what the Village Board does.

So now you have read what a vote for me means outside of policy ideas. It is a vote to inspire, involve, and scrutinize. Inspire others, involve new groups, and scrutinize the one-party government that we have. As early voting starts on Monday, March 18, I hope you take those 3 ideas to the polls with you. In this election Glenview will have two choices: (1) continue the status quo and maintain the board as a private club for the incumbent party (resulting in an abysmal turnout of 8%-10% of voters) or (2) the future can inspire, involve and inspect.

- Benjamin Polony, Candidate for Glenview Trustee

(www.voteonlypolony.org)