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On the Iraq War . .
. The Springfield City Council last week rejected, in a
6-3 vote, a measure calling for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. military
forces from Iraq. The sponsor, Ward 2 Ald. Frank McNeil, pointed out that a
majority of Springfield voters supported a similar measure in November.
Attempts by Ward 10 Ald. Bruce Strom, who is running for mayor, to push
through a resolution supporting the troops also failed. Before the vote,
Strom and Mayor Tim Davlin discussed the war and McNeil’s measure
with Illinois Times.
Strom: “We
don’t know enough about military strategy to know what should be done
at this point and what is safe for the people who are over there in
uniform, and I would be concerned that we would somehow support something
that may jeopardize our military forces. However, I think there is growing
sentiment in our community that a plan or a strategy for getting out of
Iraq is probably appropriate. Though it’s one thing to say that we
ought to get out of there right away, it’s another to say that we
should begin to develop a strategy for withdrawal. Maybe we should make
special tribute to our armed forces over there — maybe that should be
part of the ordinance. We’ve lost 3,000 lives over there and I
don’t think we know how many people have been wounded and maimed
permanently injured fighting a war that started on the misbelief that there
were weapons of mass destruction on site. We got ourselves involved in a
very volatile situation, and it’s very dangerous for our troops
serving to provide a more secure life for us in this country.”
Davlin: “If
you take the politics out of it, 95 percent of our votes would be all the
same. The other 5 percent of the time, those are philosophical questions
like smoking, pay-at-the-pump, leaf burning. Those are the kinds of things
[in which] I don’t have a dog in that fight. I’m a big business
with 1,700 employees. For me, there’s no reason for me to be in the
middle of any controversy like [the Iraq War]. I’ve got enough
concerns running police, fire, public works, libraries, doing economic
development. Like I said, 5 percent of the things are philosophical, so let
the aldermen decide. That’s a philosophical political thing, and, for
me, I’m sitting in a nonpartisan seat. I’ve got too many other
issues to be concerned about on a day-to-day basis.”
Citizens decide elections. For this reason, from now
until Election Day we will let candidates explain in their own words where
they stand the on issues that matter to you. Let us know your issues.
Contact R.L. Nave at rnave@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Feb 8-14, 2007.
