Joanne Smith of the Dayton Daily News asked for a short explanation of why I’m running for Saturday’s paper:

“It’s time for open, honest, transparent government in Dayton Ohio that is focused on delivering quality basic services. I plan to use technology like esrati.com and twitter to keep citizens informed and connected to the decisions the commission makes to guide our city manager. I am a huge proponent of regional government and will work to build cooperation through good communication.”

We’ll see what makes it in. I always like how they point out each time I’ve run and lost. I look at them as learning opportunities.

Of course, from the sidelines, it’s easy to say what the man in the arena should do. There is a great quote from Theodore Roosevelt:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

I hope I have your support. I have a passion to see Dayton believe in itself again. I believe we can do it. All it takes is hard work and great minds.