Voice of the People

My wife wrote a letter to the Kenosha News VOP. She wouldn't let me see it until it was published. It ran in the Thursday 3/27/08 edition of the Kenosha News.

Orth is ready to lead in 15th District

I grew up in Kenosha. I love this city. I think it’s a great place to raise a family, with a beautiful lakefront, great schools, and quality city services. However, I don’t think I understood truly what the responsibilities of an alderman were until I returned to Kenosha with my family and bought a house, becoming a part of a neighborhood and community.

Council members advocate for district residents, to be sure, but they also have full control over the city’s agenda. Because there is no mayoral veto power, unlike for governors and the president, aldermen have the power to steer Kenosha in the direction they feel is best, both on behalf of their district and the city in general. This election is vital to Kenosha’s future.

In my district, Michael Orth will provide caring, knowledgeable leadership. He hears and understands the concerns of our district’s residents. It takes immense dedication and research, though, to make informed decisions for Kenosha. I am probably the best one to tell you how deep and broad his knowledge goes, because I’m his wife. Michael has always been involved in politics, reading about events and issues from city to world, but I was most enamored with how he also breathes in the world around him. He remembers events from when he was just a little kid, like Teddy Kennedy challenging Carter in 1980. The hours of reading and research, his life experiences, have developed his best quality. Every decision he makes is quality, practical, rational, informed.

Vote for Michael on April 1. He will listen. He will understand. He will serve.

Jammie Orth

Kenosha News VOP

This morning I awoke to a VOP letter written by a former student of mine. Certainly it is inspired by comedien Stephen Colbert and includes several allusions to stories I tell as a teacher of world history. Jordan was recently featured in the Kenosha News for his eloquence and broad vocabulary, and this VOP article shows his verbal acumen. Jordan is also a resident of the 15th district. The following is taken from the Wednesday 3/26/08 print edition of the Kenosha News:

Orth is the right choice for 15th District

Fellow residents of Kenosha’s 15th Aldermanic District, alias The Fightin’ Fifteenth!:

Your voice has been strangely muted in the City Council, but through no fault of your own. The incumbent alderman, however honorable his intentions, has neglected to attend 40 percent of Common Council meetings. If he were O’Hare International Airport for a day, he would have canceled over 1,000 flights — which is obnoxious, even by ORD standards.

Our beaming, fresh alternative is Mr. Michael Orth, a veritable polymath concerning local and world history — he knows more about the Hapsburgs than Count Otto II himself — and with his extensive historical knowledge, he is the candidate who will sidestep the past’s pitfalls and who will lead Kenosha into a sunnier future (him and Al Gore, both).

Mr. Orth is a reliable promoter and practitioner of self-accountability, which encompasses both knowledge and attendance. He is the kind of person who understands our city, who believes in Positive Progress, who actually will respond to inquiry (ask about his collective farm potato, or his views on municipal services, whichever you prefer), and who does not run red lights from the left-turn lane. Since he is a teacher, he cannot afford to make questionable campaign donations, even if he wanted to.

As a taxpayer, a teacher, and a parent, he understands the role of the local government, the value of education to our community, and the necessity of a steaming mug of hot cocoa after a day of sledding. And as an alderman, Mr. Michael Orth would serve our district proudly and honorably. To all residents of the Fightin’ Fifteenth: Vote Michael Orth April 1.

Jordan Hildebrandt