Last Friday's county Democrat meeting

Ok, I took way to long to report on this but it was a pitch-in dinner. The candidates all were given a chance to give a short speech. I need to take a notebook with me. I really cannot remember people's names.

What I really want to report is this: unity. There is a unified purpose to the county party to move forward. The Anderson mayoral candidates and the Anderson City Council candidates are united in removing Smith as mayor. Having eyeballed both mayoral candidates, I think it is safe to say that there will be no infighting amongst them.

I am going to suggest here that the Anderson mayoral race is the most important race for Democrats in Indiana. The big cities are pretty much a cinch (does anyone seriously think we can lose Indianapolis or Evansville? Ok, maybe if Peterson is found with a goat in a Chicago Bears uniform). Muncie is an open race this year. Kokomo is the only of the manufacturing cities that is even prospering right now, so that one might be a close one to call as being more important than Anderson (besides things have been a bit weird up there). I have no idea what is going on in Terre Haute or Columbus. So with all these caveats and qualifications, I say Anderson will be the test for us this year.

It will be a test because Smith has come to adopt Daniels' ICC and he is an incumbent Republican mayor. It will be a test of the Governor's appeal as well as Smith's economic development. The city employees have gripes, some known and some only hinted at, but the fight for those outside of city employment will be economic development. That is, jobs.

It will not be an easy test, either. Kevin Smith can scrap. We need to develop cogent ideas, a vision (yes, I know I wrote that I would write more on this and I will) for the city that is a Democratic vision. Then we need to support whoever wins the primary. Full tilt support.