We Deserve Our Government
Formerly Unpublished Article By Tony Domenech from before the 2007 Mayoral Election
In Saturday’s Virtual Town Hall Meeting published by the Gainesville Sun, writers Kay the Losen and Terry Martin-Back mentioned a couple of issues which got me to thinking. Mr. Martin-Back wrote “mob rule” was worse than a representative republic and called for the voters to “establish a platform and run against the incumbents” if we weren’t pleased. Ms. the Losen suggested it was “time to resort to common sense.”
While I strongly agree with them, unfortunately neither will happen in our community and I’ll tell you why. There are 68,800 registered voters in the City of Gainesville, of those only about 15%, at best, will turn out for the city election Tuesday, March 6th (I’m betting the percentage will be closer to 12%).
Since 50% plus one is all you need to win and if only 15% turn out to vote, that means 5,161 voters, or about 7% of the registered voters in the city of Gainesville, will make the decision for the other 93%. I suggest that if 7% can control the destiny of other 93% that might qualify as “mob rule.” Of course, if less than 15% turn out then the ratio is even worse (NOTE: Turn out was 10.78%).
While it is clear that holding elections in the Spring is part of this problem, don’t hold your breath hoping the time for our city election will ever change. Why? Because sitting incumbents know that as long as the elections are held in the Spring, it is highly unlikely things will change.
History is the best predictor of the future. I believe I know about how many people will vote in the election on Tuesday and I also know exactly how at least 60% of them will vote thus, I ‘predict’ the Mayor will win by at least 65 to 70% and that Commissioner Lowe will win by about the same amount, if not more.
And what will be the result? Well, our utility bills are higher than ever and will continue to ascend. We are covered up by ‘homeless’ beggars accosting us at every street corner and will be ‘honored’ with increasing numbers as we continue to elect derelict advocates to both the City and County Commissions (Note: the ordinance they had to pass to get beggars off the street corners in the city has also impacted the firefighters raising money for Muscular Dystrophy….they can’t do it any longer.). The crime rate is up and will continue to rise significantly in our community for, what are to me, obvious reasons. Our single family residential neighborhoods will be increasingly under siege by student rentals as the Commission ‘tweaks’ the rules and buyers continue to speculate. Our roads will grow more congested and continue to be poorly maintained.
Finally, believe it or not most of the 93% who do not vote have, in fact, joined the opposition by not voting. As many others have previously stated, “we get the government we deserve;” and though I feel as the character John Adams felt in the great play 1776 when he said, “Is anybody there? Does anybody care? Does anybody see what I see?” I say to you, please vote.
Tony Domenech
Former Gainesville City Commissioner
Gainesville Resident
