Two good candidates, only one position

I have watched the two candidates running for council and have observed that they both represent two sides of what we really need in our community: Life experience/wisdom and youthful energy/new ideas.

It’s a shame that both cannot be elected to replace some of our current councilmen. Both are Front Royal natives, conservative, and come from families that have invested in our community for generations.

How does one choose in a nonpartisan election?

Our current situation has become more and more entrenched over the past five years, which marks the time that the local WCRC started getting more involved in local nonpartisan town elections by endorsing and financially supporting WCRC favored candidates. This influence and support created an unfair advantage for other candidates, like government workers under the Hatch Act and other qualified candidates who could not compete with the financial muscle of the WCRC.

This support comes with a price. Candidates feel obligated to follow the partisan dogma that got them elected, potentially conflicting with local issues that serve everyone in the community. We continue to see this play out with the council since most sitting members have been endorsed by the WCRC over the last five years. It’s a stacked deck.

After weighing the positives and negatives of the two Council candidates, I favor, by a slight edge, Mr. Rappaport for the following reasons:

1. He is a successful businessman with 30 years of experience managing large corporate budgets. The town would benefit from his careful financial eye.

2. He is his own man and will not yield under political pressure and make decisions that do not serve the entire community.

3. He loves this community. Without bravado, his goal is to help Front Royal be the best it can be.

4. He is knowledgeable, unafraid to talk about the local issues in detail. And he has solutions that can be addressed and implemented immediately, and not kick the can down the road to future Councils.

5. He will hold the current Council accountable for any actions that are not in the best interests of our community.

Both candidates are what we need for our community. I feel that Mr. Rappaport’s nonpartisan business experience, maturity, and wisdom will best serve our community at this time.

Michael Graham
Front Royal