Letter to the Editor: Ron Thomas endorses Bob Turner for mayor

Ron Thomas and Bob Turner in 1986.

To The Editor:

My first introduction to Mayoral Candidate Bob Turner was at a community rally at the Racine Labor Center December 4, 1980. It was a rally called for the purpose of keeping Massey Ferguson in Racine and to save hundreds of jobs.

Alderman Turner and I met again in the early 1980’s as he stood by the working men and women again and again as plant after plant closed. So it was not a coincidence that I supported Alderman Turner for Mayor in 1987 as he had time and time again stood up for keeping family supporting jobs in Racine.

As a member of the City Council from 1989 to 2003 I watched my friend Bob, as chairman of the Finance and Personnel Committee, oversee dozens of critical economic decisions that greatly impacted the development of our community.

I support Representative Bob Turner for Mayor because when candidates talk about jobs and the economy, they are an echo of Bob Turner.

Ron Thomas
1429 Grange Ave.
Racine, WI 53405

Letter to the Editor: Ron Thomas

As a former seven term Alderman and Mayoral candidate in 2003 who is not seeking an elected position I recognize today what I did in 2003. “There are many good and positive things happening in Racine.”

As a community, we are only as strong as our most vulnerable populations. The vision Racine must have is that of a community which reflects the City mission statement, “We shall respond to the needs of our citizens by enhancing the quality of life.” This statement encompasses every person from every walk of life, every age group and every economic class.

In the very near future, the citizens of Racine are going to hear from a number of candidates who are seeking the position of Mayor within our community. As someone who has campaigned for the position of Mayor in the past and who is deeply interested in the welfare of this community, I thought I would ask the mayoral candidates to consider taking the “high road” in their respective campaigns.

Our community suffers from a poor image, and the well publicized activities of our former Mayor have further contributed to this perception. It is very easy to campaign and stress the shortcomings of our community and never offer any real solutions. Therefore, it is my fear that some candidates will run their campaigns on a platform that accentuates community problems and further contributes to our poor reputation. I know that we do have problems, and I am not asking candidates to turn a blind eye to them; but there are great things going on in our community. Furthermore, many good people are working, daily, to make Racine a better place to live, work and raise a family. I firmly believe that Racine is a great place to live and that there is hope for an even brighter tomorrow for Racine.

I hope to hear the candidates talk about the Workforce Development Strategy for Racine County titled “Higher Expectations.” The six challenges clearly articulate the high road for the Mayoral election:

1. Raising standards and expectations for public education.
2. Supporting stronger more financially stable families.
3. Creating jobs in communities with concentrations of unemployed workers.
4. Enhancing workforce transportation alternatives.
5. Improving job seeker information about opportunities in new and expanding businesses.
6. Communicating a more positive community image.

So, to those who are campaigning to become Racine’s next Mayor, please take an ethical course in your campaigns. Present solutions to our problems and avoid being overly critical. In addition, seize opportunities to mention the good things that are occurring and avoid doing further damage to our image. It would be wonderful if your campaigns would instill hope in the future and lift us from where we currently sit.

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Thomas
1429 Grange Avenue
Racine, Wisconsin 53405