The smoke is starting to clear from the last presidential election. The election was a prime example in the art of mudslinging between two candidates who both ran negative campaigns. Unsurprisingly, the one who ultimately lost ran the more negative of the two, showing how attack-heavy campaigns are not always the most effective.
However, Dane County residents will be exposed to yet another round of mudslinging from the challenging candidate running for county executive (the election for which is April 7), while the incumbent will probably just stand, smile and tell all about the great things she's done for the county, completely ignoring everything else she's failed at. Neither is a very strong or inspiring candidate, and both are weak and lacking in regard to important issues that concern residents, as was exposed in their debate last week. Unfortunately for Dane County residents, it seems the race for county executive will come down to a lesser of two evils.
On the one hand, you have Kathleen Falk. The incumbent of the election, she'll be running for her fourth term as county executive. Falk is perhaps best known for her fumbling of the 911 Center - as well as her refusal to accept responsibility for it. Her opponent in the race, Nancy Mistele, will be more than happy to point that out to voters. Falk's dedication to the job of county executive may not be complete either, as is shown in two failed bids at higher offices: one for Wisconsin governor in 2002, and the other for Wisconsin district attorney in 2007. However, one can argue the same thing for Mistele, who also has two unsuccessful attempts at becoming a Wisconsin senator.
Falk also seems to have a knack for misappropriating taxpayers' money. For example, she put thousands in programs to curb underage alcohol use, but ignored the report of a 2004 consultant pointing out the several deficiencies of the Dane County 911 Center. This sort of irresponsible spending is inexcusable, especially with the current state of the economy.
On the other hand, there's Mistele. Simply put, she is using Falk's mishandling of the 911 Center to further her whole political agenda. Having little to say about anything else, Mistele is currently relying on an attack-heavy campaign to raise support for her campaign. She is nothing more than a one-note songbird, who, according to the Isthmus, argued that wetlands - or swamps - don't need to be protected, since no one would ever build there anyway,"" and that environmental conservation is not an issue in Dane County. It is really unfortunate to see a candidate care so little about the environment.
Furthermore, Mistele is a bit of a hypocrite, claiming that alcoholism and the current drinking culture we have in Wisconsin are ""personal issues,"" ones in which the government should not be involved, and that individuals need to take responsibility for. Although this may be true, drunk driving kills hundreds of Wisconsin residents a year, and if Mistele is as concerned about our safety as her position on the 911 Center implies, then she should be taking a more aggressive stance on the Wisconsin drinking culture.
So who should Dane Country residents look to support? Both candidates look extraordinarily weak in so many issues. It will be a tough decision, unfortunately. The incumbent is a weak leader who mismanages funds and fails to recognize her weaknesses. She would rather being on a higher rung of the political ladder, but is content to fall back on the job of county executive when nothing else is happening for her politically. The challenger is an equally poor leader, running a negative attack campaign and relying on one issue to further her political position with no thought toward other concerns of the people of Dane County. Unfortunately, this looks to be a lesser of two evils election, and it looks like the best we can do now is simply hope for stronger candidates in the future.
Ryan Dashek is a junior majoring in biology. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
