By: Diane Benjamin
The room was packed with citizens last night wanting to hear the two candidates. There was easily over 200 people, standing room only.
Nikita Richards continued her attacks on Kathy Michael, including that she violated the law by delaying early voting. It didn’t matter that Michael had the permission of the State’s Attorney or that BEC and other counties delayed early voting too.
Local candidates should be terrified if Richards is elected. If it’s 40 days before an election and a court has not yet decided if your name can appear on the ballot because of a challenge, Richards would start early voting without your name anyway.
Richards continued to prove she doesn’t want the election part of the job. She wants un-elected bureaucrats counting votes instead – an unaccountable election commission that will be non-partisan in name only.
At one point Richards complained about a voting site in Bloomington. Michael had to remind her that would be handled by the Bloomington Election Commission, not her office. Richards mentioned a lady in Normal, first name only, that had complained to her. That lady never filed a complaint and the election judges did not mention a problem in the post-election reports.
The moderator had to correct Richards at least once on a statement she made about the charges against Michael concerning use of her computer. Richards continued to claim she was totally innocent of campaigning on hers. She ignored the obvious. Her history shows her going to campaign fundraising sites, website creation sites, analytics sites, donor tracking sites, and my favorite: wellstone.org that teaches progressives how to win elections. https://blnnews.com/2018/08/24/please-explain-why-nikita-richards-has-a-job/
If Richards is elected, she wants to buy all new voting equipment and setup early voting locations in the County. Michael stated there is no reason to buy equipment when what they have still works and their vendor agrees with her. Early voting locations mean paying election judges to stare at each other. Stop by the Government Center and see how many people are waiting in line today. Setting up locations in the County will be even worse.
Has Nikita Richards ever served as an election judge? That comment was submitted but not asked last night.
I found it funny when she listed her supporters. Her list prove how partisan she is: All the local unions, ISU Democrats, IWU Democrats, Democrat Cheri Bustos, and Democrat Dick Durbin.
The County Clerk’s office was not controversial until Nikita Richards decided to run. Not having any real reasons to convince voters to elect her, she has spent the last year making things up.
WGLT has video on their site: http://www.wglt.org/post/tense-county-clerk-debate-uncertainty-about-ethical-lines
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County Clerk’s office has to get approval from the County Board for many, if not all, of the changes Richards is proposing. How does she plan to deliver on her promises?
Also, it’s interesting to see that Richards answered the debate questions by reading prepared statements.
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Wouldn’t surprise me if Nikita had advance notice of the questions from the League of Women Socialists, who I understand organized the debate.
Of course she did. I would like to see a true debate….where the audience asks the questions based on a random selection (so the democrats could not stack the deck), with no restrictions on the questions. Nikita would not have the guts nor most politicians for that matter to show up.
Wonder IF the Pantagraph OR WGLT will report that the American Socialist party is trying to take over local politics?
These are basically the SAME tactics that Hitler used..
Deceive, Achieve and Control..
They asked Kathy about her comment . She handled it beautiful. These local radicals supported Daniel Biss for governor. He’s a self defined socialist.
Did anyone else notice the horrible front page picture in the Pantagraph’s print version? It is much different than their e-version. In the print version it shows a smiling, clapping Nikita Kruschev Jr. with the audience clapping while Michael’s face is turned and partially hidden by a microphone. Pantagraph…. thanks for proving you are FAKE NEWS!
They also has a story saying around 100 people attended. It was at least double that number!
If the debate (and campaign) translates to voting, I think Nikita is a bridge too far for mainstream Democrats. Her far-left politics and how she’s conducted herself will alienate middle of the road Democrats and independents. Kathy came across as authentic and human, not perfect, which I would argue is a good thing. Generally, to get elected you need voters to answer three questions in the affirmative: 1) Do I like him/her? 2) Do I trust him/her? 3) Do I see/picture him/her in that office? Nikita is unlikable in the mainstream, the trust issues are self-evident, and finally, the last question is key…I just don’t think people can picture her executing the role of County Clerk.
Nikita says she was in the Navy. So if not an officer what do they call enlisted people, “grunts?” Or was that the Army? Well anyway, no offence intended but I can see her functioning as a grunt.
Seriously, Nikita has a lot of talent, a lot of education, and a bright future – but only if she quits playing the victim card and creating controversy where none exists. If she doesn’t she will be rejected by everyone except the far left that thrives on it.
Liar, Ms. Richards, does not deserve to be County Clerk. How dare she just waltz into town, be given a job, assume she is entitled to the county clerk job, and lie about Kathy Michaels. She should apologize to Kathy for lying, but I’m sure she never will. She has no soul, let alone a conscience.