Angry? Me?????

Give a moment or two to the angry young man,
With his foot in his mouth and his heart in his hand.
He's been stabbed in the back, he's been misunderstood,
It's a comfort to know his intentions are good.
And he sits in a room with a lock on the door,
With his maps and his medals laid out on the floor-
And he likes to be known as the angry young man

- "The Angry Young Man" by Billy Joel.

Okay, maybe it's time for a little explaining of things. SC6 is not an official website of my campaign. Originally, I did it anonymously, but I was accidentally outed last year. It is essentially a forum for me to express my views on topics - not just political. If I want to chat about football or music or a date I had, this is where it will be. In short, if some of you are looking at SC6 expecting me to talk only about issues pertaining to my county council race, you will be disappointed. I use this to entertain you, but mainly to entertain myself.

Now, onto other things... Somewhere along the line, I've been labeled as a negative, angry person. It's not the first time that I've heard this. Heck, even the lady I've been dating told me that to a certain extent. So, is this assertion correct? No and maybe. After all, how we are viewed is how we are, right? Perception may be reality in politics, but that doesn't make it fact.

I've never had an easy road in politics. This is my second race , and both are seats held by African-Americans. Let's face it , if this were an easy seat to win, someone else would be running for it. I take the hard jobs, because losing is not a big deal to me. The goal is to discuss issues, expose hypocrisies, and end up with a more honest government . If I were satisfied with the job a person was doing, I wouldn't be running - hence, the criticisms. A battery runs on both positive and negative, and there is a lot of negative to run off of in Florence.

Does this make me angry? Not at all... If all we want is someone to blow smoke and make empty promises, be my guest and vote for the other guy - we'll figure out how to pay for it later. I will not lie or promise to get elected, and I sure will not down my family to get sympathy. During the summer, I was attacked from all sides, and I took the high road and just waited for the truth to come out. Having the media report that with as much gusto as they did in attacking me would've been nice, but that is how it goes. So, maybe a little anger is justified....I am what I am - a real person without a front or pretense of any kind.

Maybe if I were a better public speaker, I'd be viewed in a better light. When I get on Council, my strengths will come out: Right now, there is a huge split in Council. Most decisions are made based on who isn't there, and doing an end around in Executive Session. A centrist member whose focus is on what is best for the citizens is sorely needed. Sorry, I have zero tolerance for doubletalk and misrepresntation, so if that makes me angry, then I'm guilty. It's just too bad that it doesn't anger everyone.

I'll work on a kinder, gentler Mike Reino, faults and all...