Who Am I?
My name is Christopher Edes, and I want to do
something positive for Rochester.
I believe the divisive political atmosphere
currently prevailing in our country is leading us inevitably to
catastrophe. Rather than try to find common ground and work
together, people assign a higher value to "winning" against the other
side. As a result uncounted opportunities are missed for
accomplishing positive goals through cooperation.
This divisiveness is fueled largely by our
two-party system, e.g. Democrats and Republicans. The system
encourages people to vote for "the lesser of two
evils." That means that in today's elections people are more
likely to vote for the major-party candidate they find least offensive,
as opposed to voting for someone they truly believe in.
In exit polls conducted at the last Presidential
election, 25% of those polled said they voted against the
candidate they least wanted to win. (The question was:
"Did you vote mostly for your candidate, or mostly against his
opponent?").
I have a plan to change all of
that. In 2005, I helped form an alliance political party,
the Red, White and Blue Party. Our four candidates came from
diverse ideological backgrounds but followed one important
principle. We ignored our differences, and focused on the
areas where we could agree and work together. In an election
where the other "independent" political parties either endorsed
Democrats or stayed home, we ran a slate of candidates for Mayor and
City Council that were actual alternative choices.
We did this by bringing people together, and I
want to continue to promote this philosophy in Rochester. It is
how I would continue to act as an elected offical, and it is how I am
encouraging anyone and everyone who will listen to act. Rather
than follow the path of division, we need to work together to accomplish
what we can agree on.
Even small acts of cooperation can yield great
benefits. As people work together, they develop respect for
each other's intelligence and character. This respect then
allows them to discuss and perhaps resolve their larger
disagreements. Eventually this respect will begin to turn the
tide against the division that threatens us.
This year, I am running for Commissioner of Schools
in Rochester, commonly known as the School Board, on the Libertarian
Party line. I intent to offer alternatives which the two major
parties are politically unable to provide, alternatives which may
finally solve some of our schools' enduring problems.
Please peruse the site for more information on the
movement we are building. You may also want to check out
my biography.