What you said about what we said last week

We’ve been asked a few times why City Paper didn’t make endorsements in the Ward 4 or Ward 8 special elections, a source of lively conversation with attendees at both of the debates we hosted in the leadup to Election Day. (“Who are you endorsing?” “No one, we’re not endorsing.” “OK, but who are you endorsing?”) But really, we here in charge of Chatter must confess we didn’t make endorsements because our commenters are just too damned good at it—why compete?!

Take hoo boy’s advice, offered up in the comments section on Will Sommer’s recent Ward 8 cover story: “Ms. May is the best chance they have. Don’t vote for another dope fiend Ward 8!” Does an endorsement get any better than that? Also appreciated: when commenters rail against our reporting. N.B., we’re taking notes! Alan Page groused: “This article has quite a few problems.” Alan, you should know we’re looking to fill a vacant editor position. Please continue. “Naming LaRuby as a frontrunner in the absence of polling data is nonsensical; fundraising acumen does not guarantee victory in Ward 8… Clearly, any committed interest group that turns out in force can win an election for a candidate in a broad field…” Shadowy interest group alert! Are your spidey senses tingling yet? “Lastly, stating that 35 murders occurred in Ward 8 last year without pointing out there are 75,000 residents in the ward is disingenuous, at best. That’s a rate of less than 1 out of every 2,000 residents, hardly a murder rate likely to scare off investment in a town whose real estate market is on fire.” Not to be a stickler for numbers, but that’s actually a remarkably high murder rate—the 2013 murder rate in the average U.S. city was 5.2 people per 100,000 residents, according to the FBI’s crime stats. In other words, Ward 8’s murder rate is the about same as Detroit’s (45 per 100,000 people).

Nice Guys Finish Last

In response to Sommer’s LL column on the Ward 4 race, a commenter named council staff (insider info?) wrote, “Brandon Todd is a nice guy but that doesn’t make him a good council member and a good member is what is needed in ward 4… I mean it has already been said that Brandon Todd did not do a good job as a member of Muriel’s staff. I cannot see him writing legislation moving ward 4 forward or being a good rep for the ward. He looks old and worn out already because he didn’t want this Muriel pushed him into it.” Do you hear that feminists? Women aren’t the only ones whose looks are picked apart on the campaign trail. How’s that for equality?

Department of Corrections

In last week’s issue, Brew In Town initially misstated the price of the Bardo Zeus IPA. It is $6 for 16 oz., not $5 for 12 oz.