Daniel Harris, Princeton
The following is an open letter to Scott Sipprelle, candidate for Congress in the 12th Congressional District:
Dear Mr. Sipprelle:
I have been dismayed to learn that you have refused to respond to either the bi-partisan Project VoteSmart questionnaire or the nonpartisan Peace Voter 2010 questionnaire. Your opponent, Rush Holt, has completed both questionnaires; his responses are part of the public record. You will find links to these questionnaires below. http://www.votesmart.org, http://www.peacecoalition.org/phocadownload/NJ12%20Voter%20Guide.pdf .
I urge you to commit yourself to the education of the electorate and citizens you hope to serve. You surely know that democracy functions through education, not through ignorance or the silence of candidates. Your silence undermines your credibility; voters believe that you, if elected, will choose to function by secrecy, not by transparency that you favor access to power, not the discussion of viewpoints.
The questions raised in both surveys are not silly: they all focus on issues fundamental to our national and international relations. You have a public obligation to respond. Your refusal to respond will not encourage confidence among voters, who will take such a refusal as your deliberate disengagement from the democratic process.
In your case, your frankness and honest answers are even more essential because of your personal wealth. People want to know how you might vote in relation to your personal fortune. Given the financial meltdown of recent years, you have an evident responsibility to be entirely open with the voters, and you also need to indicate whether, if elected, you will put your business interests and personal assets into a “blind trust,” as other wealthy office holders before you have traditionally done.
All voters will thank you for answering the questionnaires.
Daniel A. Harris
Princeton

