EDITOR:
The letter to the editor in last week’s Landmark from Carol Clopton raised a couple of issues that I need to address. And then I have a comment about the state of campaigning today.
First the topic of county boards and commissions. Carol echoes my opponent and his supporters with the general complaint that seats on these boards and commissions, which are appointed by the commissioners, “are not filled in a fair or equitable manner.” But at every level of government, the party or person in power appoints like-minded people to board and commission vacancies without regard to fairness or “equity.” This is standard practice, and I will follow suit.
Further, she says that “board positions are considered springboards to elected office.” Yes, serving on county boards is one way to demonstrate an interest in public service, but there are many other ways to demonstrate this important trait. Candidates can also demonstrate their interest in public service by volunteering or serving on a board of one of the many local and regional quasi-governmental, non-profit, or industry boards. Alas, my opponent has shown no interest in any of this.
Secondly, Carol says that I haven’t revealed what I plan to do once elected. Like the claim that I won’t appear in a candidate forum with my opponent, this is not true. (My opponent and I both attended the Platte County EDC candidate forum and discussed many issues.) Just go to ElectFricker.com and look under the Platforms tab, and you’ll find a detailed list of “Things I’ll Do Once Elected” that starts with a list of my core principles. And as I’ve stated before, I talk to people every day while out in the community meeting with supporters, knocking on doors, and during my regular weekly office hours at a local coffee shop about my core beliefs and detailed plans.
And finally, I’m disappointed in my opponent and his supporters for waging a very divisive campaign. At a recent street fair, I was approached by a woman (a supporter of my opponent) who asked me if I was “the book burner.” Good grief. I get emails and questions constantly from my opponent’s supporters about Jan. 6, Trump, and abortion. I’m told that I need to denounce this or that or defend myself against ridiculous charges and slurs. But I refuse to engage in any of this because their goal is to identify those that they consider to be unacceptable and then publicly shame them into retreating from the public square. This is the cancel culture at work, but it won’t work on me. It’s very damaging to public discourse and has nothing to do with local issues.
As always, I look forward to having open and honest conversations with anyone that wants to talk about local issues.
--Scott Fricker
Candidate for
Platte County
Presiding Commissioner