DINO (Democrat In Name Only): Dan McCormick has the unusual distinction of being a Democrat endorsed by both of UA City Council's far-right members, Tim Rankin and Frank Ciotola.

UA Progressive Action is a progressive grassroots political group. Although we generally support Democratic candidates in local, state and national elections, we are not an extension of the local Democratic party; therefore, we have the flexibility and autonomy to recommend Independents and Republicans over Democrats if we feel they support a more progressive agenda.

We have made every effort to determine which UA City Council candidates adhere to those progressive issues/principles that we believe UA should guided by; and as a result of our research, we are supporting Republican, Ed Seidel, over Democrat, Dan McCormick.

Because our recommendations have surprised some UAPA members, we thought an explanation was in order. Here's what our research turned up:

Our Findings

This election the UAPA executive committee determined awhile ago there were no true progressives running this election so we decided to place candidates on a continuum from moderate to ultra conservative, knowing that even these labels were not ideal.

Party affiliation, although a rough guide when assessing candidates in this specific election, proved to be misleading when evaluating candidate Dan McCormick --- a registered Democrat. The closest party label we could assign to Dan would be libertarian.

Fortunately, a couple members of the UAPA Executive Cmte had the opportunity to sit down with Dan at length to talk about local politics. Here's some of what we learned:

• Based on our discussion, McCormick is a Democrat more out of necessity than out of conviction. When asked why he was a Democrat, he said he was born and raised in steel country in Pennsylvania where everyone was a Democrat. He indicated he left the party and became an Independent at one point, but more recently registered as a Democrat, because he wanted to vote in the Democratic primary as a good friend was running and he wanted to vote for her. His answer certainly wasn't a party endorsement.
• When asked which current council members he most closely aligned with, he cited the most fiscally (and socially) conservative, Rankin, Steen, and Ciotola. Also, McCormick's closest political friends and allies --- people like Jim Becker and others, have been a thorn in the side of progress in UA for many years
• Tim Rankin and Frank Ciotola, City Council's most right-wing members, endorse both Leslie Heath and Dan McCormick.
• UA's most urgent problems are not top-of-mind for McCormick. We worry about UA's declining and graying population, management of our limited commercial base to reduce our reliance on property taxes, and losing population to surrounding suburbs with more family-friendly amenities. McCormick is focused on city financial matters, government waste and basic services.
• McCormick would walk away from the negotiating table, letting developers 'dictate' the future of Kingsdale and potentially other scarce commercial sites. McCormick has stated at the public candidate forums that 'the City should get out of the way at Kingsdale' and 'the market should dictate what comes into Kingsdale'. McCormick wants the City to set aside the Master Plan and to stand down on our zoning code to accommodate Regency. Of course, the market will drive development as no one is going to develop a site unless it makes economic sense. The implication, however, is that the city should not expend any of its resources or otherwise stand in the way of whatever it is that Regency might want to undertake at Kingsdale. We believe that Regency has no particular connection with UA, so it is Council's responsibility to negotiate with Regency to ensure that Kingsdale is developed in ways that both benefit our community and make economic sense.
• McCormick's penny-wise, pound-foolish agenda would be detrimental to UA’s growth and progress in the future. Many people want to live in UA, in part, for the amenities and quality of life it offers --- our libraries, the arts, recreation, our parks, etc. We think that UA should be continuing to improve our quality of life --- with a eye toward those we'd like to attract to live here --- balancing fiscal responsibility with the most urgent needs of our community. Ed Seidel has demonstrated his commitment to UA citizens' quality of life and fiscal responsibility both in word and in deed.
• It easy to see what McCormick is against, but not what he's for. His focus on finances seems to have left him without a vision for UA's future.
• McCormick has been a critic of our best-in-the-state recycling program.

We see McCormick as a DINO, a Democrat In Name Only, closely connected with right-wing members of Council. And we're not alone in that view:

• Tim Rankin and Frank Ciotola, City Council's most right-wing members, endorse both Leslie Heath and Dan McCormick.
• UA Councilman Don Leach, life-long, registered Democrat placed his endorsement on Seidel, Krauss and Yassenoff.
• Six former UA mayors, Republicans and Democrats also endorsed Seidel, Krauss and Yassenoff.

We hope this information proves helpful.