John Q. Public asks Scott Bauer, Thavisak 'Lucky' Syphanthong…

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Party Endorsements in Nonpartisan Contests

City council races are nonpartisan, but some candidates still receive endorsements from political parties. What’s your view on the role of party endorsements in a nonpartisan race, and did you seek any?

— John Q. Public

Responses

Thavisak 'Lucky' Syphanthong

I believe that since the Eureka City Council seat is a nonpartisan seat, I will represent not just people in my Ward 4, but the citizens of Eureka as a whole.  That being the case, it does not matter to me what party you are affiliated with, I will listen to your concerns and educate myself on the issues before making a decision on any topic that affects the City and its citizens.  Although I am a registered Democrat, I did not seek any endorsements from any political parties.

Scott Bauer

The U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision opened the flood gate for billionaires to bankroll the candidates of their choice. It is only fair that working class Americans running for office seek out the support of organizations that support their fellow working-class brothers and sisters. The Humboldt County Democrats are supporting my campaign. I’m proud to receive their endorsement, as I believe we share many of the same values. We believe the working class deserve a fair share of the wealth generated by our economic activity. After all, billionaires didn’t build our economy, workers did.

I’ve been a civil servant for more than 25 years, and a union member during that entire time. I’m honored to have also received the endorsement of the United Auto Workers (my union), Central Labor Council of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties (AFL-CIO), Eureka Teachers Association (ETA), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Operating Engineers (OE3), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers (AFSCME), and Building and Construction Trades Council of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.

All that said, people in Ward 4 and the greater City of Eureka know I’m a pragmatic problem solver, willing to work across political lines to improve the lives of all our citizens. While I do have partisan support and the backing of labor organizations, my number one concern is the health and well-being of our community. I don’t consider politics when it comes to decisions regarding what is best for Eureka.