Proactive for Snellville

Even though Election Day is November 8th, I “won” the election for Snellville City Council Post 1 on September 2nd when the qualifying period closed and I had no opponent. I don’t know if it’s true, but I’ve heard that the reason I was unopposed is because no one wanted to run against someone who volunteered to be attacked in a police dog demonstration.

Reasons, both real and imagined aside, running for office with no opposition is a bitter-sweet experience. Sweet because it eliminates much of the time and expense of running a lengthy campaign; bitter because without an opponent there is no clear mandate from voters. Lacking such a mandate, I believe the best way to serve the citizens of Snellville is to continue seeking their vote with some traditional campaign activities.

One of the most important of these activities is meeting voters one-on-one to learn their thoughts and concerns. The best way to accomplish that is to knock on doors, and during the past few weeks, that’s what I’ve done. I’ll continue to go door-to-door through the end of October, and I also encourage residents to contact me now and in the future with any questions or comments. You’ll find my phone number and e-mail address on my web site- www.daveemanuel.org.

It is noteworthy that Bobby Howard and Diane Krause, the candidates for City Council positions Post 4 and Post 2 respectively, are also unopposed—and are also knocking on doors to meet voters and hear what they have to say. In addition to our individual efforts, we have also visited a number of neighborhoods together with mayoral candidate Barbara Bender and Councilman Tom Witts.

As a resident of Snellville, I’m pleased that so many members of the new City Council are taking such a proactive approach to gathering citizen input. As a member of the new City Council, I’m honored to be part of that team.