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we get the government we deserve

Judy Hill permalink | categories: citizens, city, election '07, pinellas, politics, st pete
by Judy Hill @ 7:41 am

The St. Petersburg city election was held Tuesday and almost no one showed. A paltry nine percent of the registered voters bothered to cast ballots. Only 14,500 of you showed up. That’s a record low, by the way.

Turn-out was so sparse that as I walked in to my precinct at about 2 p.m., a poll worker dozed in a chair in the warm sun.

I asked him if he were having an exciting day.

He opened his eyes, looked at me and deadpanned, “What do you think.”

I thought not.

Turns out, there were more members of the firefighters union outside campaigning for a couple of candidates -and more poll workers inside waiting to assist than there were voters for them to help.

Maybe it was a sign that St. Petersburg residents are completely satisfied with city government. Or maybe it’s because we’re a city full of lazy asses who don’t understand the importance of exercising something called a franchise which, by the way, in this context has absolutely nothing to do with sports and everything to do with democracy.

Tags: citizens, city, election '07, pinellas, politics, st pete

4 Responses to “we get the government we deserve”

  1. calebism Says:
    November 9th, 2007 at 9:52 am

    I’m going to have to go with “lazy asses”, Judy.
    Survey says– LAZY ASSES!
    I knew it.
    Also, “uninspiring choices” came in at number two.

  2. Steven Tamayo Says:
    November 9th, 2007 at 1:16 pm

    there was an election?

  3. Tom Says:
    November 9th, 2007 at 7:53 pm

    I think we deserve a better government and will get one when the two new members join council.

    It should not be a surprise that turnout drops when you move an election to a time when nothing else will draw people to vote. Gulfport doesn’t waste money like St. Pete so they are holding their election during the Presidential primary. Every other election they save a bundle and turnout will be much higher than in St. Pete. The years without a primary have the mayoral race to draw voters.

    Our politicians also put the Penny for Pinellas tax vote at a time when they hoped few would vote. They won that one but this week the people won.

    The plan was to use the newspaper, publicly funded Channel 35, and developers advertising money to push their candidates past a sleeping electorate. People saw through it this time.

  4. Mariella Smith Says:
    November 9th, 2007 at 11:08 pm

    The voters turned out and took the reins just south of us.

    In Venice:

    “Three slow-growth candidates made history in Venice on Tuesday, upsetting the city’s balance of power and continuing a growth backlash that is sweeping the region. The overwhelming election of Sue Lang, Ed Martin and Ernie Zavodnyik over three well-connected incumbents turned Venice’s power structure on its head, and proved that growth continues to be a powerful political issue in Southwest Florida. The challengers, who worked together as a team, won by a resounding margin … Turnout after a hotly contested campaign was heavy, at 52 percent, up from 25 percent in 2005 … The election marks a new era in Venice politics after years of dominance by a group of high-powered, well-funded local business leaders who backed the incumbents. With a near majority on the seven-member council, the challengers could have wide-ranging influence. … The three winners were endorsed by the Sierra Club and each said Tuesday that environmental issues ranging from alternative energy to water pollution are high on their list of priorities.”

    From the Herald Tribune:

    “Ignoring strong lobbying from the business community, voters in the city of Sarasota and Sarasota County overwhelmingly approved supermajority measures. The new requirements will make it more difficult for developers to build in many areas. The message was also unmistakable in Venice, where three City Council incumbents blamed by their challengers for the city’s rampant growth lost by landslide margins. … Voters in the city of Sarasota also backed a plan to limit campaign donations in City Commission races to $200 per person and to ban donations from businesses. In the past, developers have been able to exceed campaign donation limits by writing checks from multiple business holdings.
    ”

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