LETTER: Best candidate for Crystal Mayor is Jim Adams

Originally published in the SunPost

To the Editor:

As a longtime resident, I was looking to get involved in my community. In April, I joined my local DFL caucus. I volunteered to be on their candidate endorsement committee. We had a long list of candidates running for various offices to interview for possible support. This is where I had my first encounter with Crystal mayoral candidate ReNae Bowman.

Bowman walked in and was extremely bold. I was taken aback by her behavior. It was clear that she harbored a great deal of resentment toward the current council and Mayor Adams. She bad mouthed them and called them names all the while claiming on her website that she’s running a “no labels” campaign focused on “issues and a brighter future.” The truth is the exact opposite. She felt it was a personal attack that the Human Rights Commission was no longer active, despite the lack of activity and any real authority. I begrudgingly accepted that the DFL would endorse her and I stood with my chosen party.

I am privileged to serve on the city of Crystal’s Community Outreach Task Force, where I was elected the chair. It was here that I encountered Bowman again. This time she bombarded me with emails and Facebook messages about what our new task force was doing. I had personally invited her to attend our meetings on numerous occasions. After a series of emails where I tried to explain that this task force was new and finding our footing, she called me “judgmental,” called our task force “secretive,” and accused me of being a “Republican plant.” Her behavior was childish. Any questions I posed to her were met with disparaging remarks about Mayor Adams and she refused to address any concerns I had with her time as mayor. I do not believe that Bowman will work with anyone who might disagree with her.

I’ve decided I’m not supporting her for Crystal mayor. In this election I don’t care about party endorsement, I’m voting for the best candidate. I call on all of my friends regardless of political party, to support Mayor Jim Adams in his re-election bid.

Shelley Appel,

Crystal