Editor, Times-Union: It has been 10 days since the local mayoral election here in Warsaw. I would like to share some of the things I learned and found out during my campaign as a mayoral candidate. I talked to a lot of locals that are not pleased with the way things are going in our town. Like the money spent without public input or awareness. I would be one of those that believe we are not being represented in a fair and balanced way. I also found the obvious complacency in our town with the poor turnout at the polls. The fact that the Republican winner did not even get 1,000 votes after 16 years of service. A man that everyone knows doesn’t live in the city came in second with 400+ votes. A man with a great reputation came in third after being smeared in this paper by ex-friend’s of mine as well as other friends of the so-called winner. I learned that people that don’t even live in the city or pay taxes that have been wasted, have the nerve to say things are great and we are all so lucky to be represented by these people. I was saddened by the fact that I did not get my final interview printed by a reporter that claimed I was the only person with any ideas for our future as a city. I was also confused by the fact that we were asked specific question to which I gave concise answers that were in turn turned into a story and not cut and pasted as I was told they would be. I could not believe the county clerk and his assistant refused to file my complaint that one of the candidates put down a commercial building as his residence even though their very records show him as filing a homestead exemption out of the city. I called the local head of my past party here in Kosciusko County and he waited to call me back until after the deadline to file a formal complaint came and passed. I was pleased to be told by the opposition party that they would back me in the general election in November if I crossed over to their party. I do not want to be labeled a hypocrite by doing so. I declined but told him I think his party has a lot of good ideas and they care more about the little guy than my old party. I want you all to know I am in two unions and believe they are good in many cases in this country. Without them we would all be working for $1 per hour and saluting our boss everyday as we report to our 100-hour per-week job with no benefits. I wanted Kyle Babcock to win the moment I saw he had filed. I would not have run if he had put his name in the hat before myself. I would have gotten behind him even more than I got behind myself, but the deadline for me to drop out came right after he filed to run. On that note he is a great man and stood up for we the citizens more than we will ever know. The thing that bothers me most is that the elected official has taken the hope away from we the people that we can make a difference. For proof, look at the numbers of people that did not even bother to push a button and take 15 minutes out of their day. In closing, I hope the 883 people that voted to have a $5 million city hall are willing to pay the extra to complete it. Also the fact that a board member is being paid $210,000 to sit at her computer and design it makes me sick. The mayor has to cut ribbons and give tax breaks to his friends for three years to make that much, like the guy that put two condos in a warehouse downtown. He won’t pay a dime in city taxes for 10 years. Oh, that is equal treatment. If you believe that, I have a house in Vegas you can buy for 2 million over the market value. As for me, I am a pro at rejection remember. It took me 24 years before I got my first feature film and, yes, it was well worth the wait. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Oh, I have not yet begun to fight. Michael Alspaugh Warsaw, via e-mail
