A letter to the editor from Democratic candidate for the 1st District Fort Wayne City Council seat, Steve Shafer:
To the Editor:
Recently in an article in the Journal Gazette regarding “Occupy Wall Street”, the writer urged the people in this movement to vote in elections. I totally agree, I am sixty-three years old and I have voted in every election since I became eligible to vote. The writer also urged them to run for political office. One of the main points of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement is the fact that money influences and buys politicians., I absolutely agree. This fact makes it very difficult for an average person to run for office and be elected. Political experts, at the start of my campaign, told me that I would need $35,000 to $40,000 if I expected to have a chance of winning. The average person does not have those means and has difficulty raising that amount of money. These facts are not encouraging for people in the “Occupy Wall Street” movement to run for office.
I have found it very interesting that one City Council candidate can contribute $30,000 to his campaign and another candidate can raise and spend $105,000 on his campaign for an office that pays $21,000 per year. This is proof that the “Occupy Wall Street” movement is correct in its belief that money controls politics; and defeats the basic right of free elections.
I support the “Occupy Wall Street” movement and maybe, just maybe, the average person can be elected!
Steve Shafer, Candidate
1st District City Council
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