REJECTED!!!

In the early part of last century the Citizens Association once served as a force for reform in Kansas City.

But things change . . .

Nowadays, Political Action Committees are responsible for some of the sleaziest tactics imaginable during a campaign and it's hard to distinguish one decent group from so many others that have less than honorable reputations.

Somewhat correspondingly, Mark Forsythe's campaign has been one few signs of hope in the local political scene given that he has pledged not to take money from any PAC's and it's nice to see that he is fulfilling that promise.

Today, Forsythe has declined to seek an endorsement from the Citizens Association. He gives a number of good reasons and pays the group much more respect than I think they deserve but here's what seems to be his primary motivation:

As a councilperson I must be a steward of the public trust. To avoid even the appearance of undue influences this campaign has not, and will not take contributions from Political Action Committees. While an endorsement from a respected organization like yours would certainly be a tremendous boost to any candidate, accepting valuable services such as sample ballots and other publicity would be in direct conflict with the principles of our grass roots campaign.

And this is good news for a lot of reasons but mostly because it involves a political hopeful choosing NOT to pander to anyone who will listen or might have the ability to do a favor.