OK folks, here’s the deal. If you live in Gilbert and you don’t vote today, then I don’t want to hear any whining about ANYTHING the Mayor or Town Council does.
Don’t know where to go to vote? No problem. Here is a polling place locator (for all of Maricopa County).
I don’t care who you vote for (well, I care but it’s not my place to tell you who to vote for) just vote. Local elected officials really have FAR more impact on your daily lives than the suits in Washington, yet voter turnout for this type of election is typically abysmal.
No vote, no complaining. Here’s your chance to do something.
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Why I agree everyone should get out there and vote, and I encourage everyone to do so, I disagree with the whole “if you don’t vote you have no right to speak” theory.
There are many ways to contribute to what your government does, and unfortunately voting is not always the sure way to bring changes. It’s a good thing to do,, yes, but think about it. A very progressive person like me- really if I don’t vote is it going to matter here in Gilbert? Not really.
I’m not a fan of silencing anyone who wants to speak up about their government, whether you vote or not. Voting doesn’t give you any more rights to do so than anyone else.
That being said, I am still heading to the polls!
**Dani´s last blog post..Headlines from Democracy Now 3/10/09
Hi Jay,
Great job on getting out the vote!
If I might shamelessly add please vote for Jenn! She’s make a dynamite council member! http://www.voteforjenn.com
(No bias here-the last name Daniels is a coincidence!
Not surprisingly, you make some great points Dani. I agree completely that there are many things someone can do to contribute.
But, if someone directly says something like, “That Mayor Steve Berman is an idiot”, and they didn’t vote against him (or work, or contribute, or do something) to get him out of office, then they don’t have a whole lot to stand on – in my book.
Don’t get me wrong, they still have a right to say it, it’s just that if they didn’t do anything about it, I can’t put a whole lot of credence to their complaints.
I think every vote counts. I know there are some candidates across the country that think so too. (I believe the MN Senate seat was *just* decided).
People tend to feel more comfortable as “arm chair” quarterbacks or politicians but the only way anyone can make a difference is to be involved. Even if things don’t turn out the way expected at least we make our voice heard and [cast] our votes for what and “who” we agree with & believe in. I would be one to believe if you don’t participate in the game you can’t comment on the score.
**RentalPropertyRenegade´s last blog post..Through the eyes of an Investor; Today
It was nice of you to allow each to give a plug about who they are and why they should get the vote to do the job. But, I bet when all is said and done, the turn out at the Beer Festival will be far greater than the turn out to the voting booth.
BTW: $22,000 a year for a part time job is great money. I think I’ll run in my town for the $12,000 they get to sit council meetings.
Oh I completely agree with you, Jay. Your actions with your words definitely give you credibility. I’d also be the first to suggest to that whining person that perhaps if you do want change, that maybe you do go vote, or even run for office yourself.
On the other hand there are also many who do nothing but vote, usually without being informed and knowing why they are out there at the polls in the first place. As long as they vote, they think they have done enough. It makes voting a very passive way of being involved, which I feel is counterproductive. I wish more people were actively involved in their local politics.
**Dani´s last blog post..The danger always starts at home, a rich terrorist
boy, your really getting behind this Gilbert guy! I wish we has some local or state level politicians who inspired some sort of enthusiasm. Rather we have people who want to do the easy things and not any of the hard things.
**James Boyer´s last blog post..Morris County Saint Patrick’s Day Parade 2009 / Morristown NJ 07960
I agree with both you and Dani-if you don’t vote, you can’t complain about who gets elected because you didn’t do your part to influence the outcome; HOWEVER, if you are informed, take and active stance in your local/federal government, and do your part to bring the changes/results you belive will work, but didn’t vote, you still have a right to complain about policies or legislation the elected officals make. On the flip side though, I do think most people that are active actually vote. Most people I know that don’t vote aren’t active in government and would probably find something to complain about just for the sake of complaining no matter what.
**Meg Zoller-Houston Realtor´s last blog post..Houston Real Estate Reaps Benefits of Statewide Population Growth
I am always surprised at how small of a turnout local elections get; I hope yours ends up being great this time around. You’ll have to let us know if the winner was one of the candidates you hosted on here!
**Linda Craft-North Raleigh Real Estate´s last blog post..Should Buyers Buy in a Buyers Market?
I voted but did not vote to re-elect Steve Berman.
Thank you for a great post. It is really getting harder to re-elect any politician at any level. Term limits and new blood are needed from the local to the national level, IMHO.
Do you know the results yet? It would be fun if the winner was one of the guys/gals that guest posted on your blog!
**MaryAnn Knell-Peoria Real Estate´s last blog post..$8,000 First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit
Sorry for the delay posting the results. There were two seats available for Gilbert Town Council. One incumbent was running (Joan Kruger) but I wasn’t ever able to locate an email address for her to invite her to post here.
Four Town Council candidates made it into a run-off election to be held in May — Kruger, and three of the four who guest posted here: Jenn Daniels, Erin Scroggins and John Sentz. I’ve only personally met one of these 4 candidates, Jenn Daniels, and she’ll be getting one of my votes in the general election. I am at this moment undecided on which other Council candidate to vote for (we can vote for two).
None of the candidates for Mayor elected to guest post here. There will be a run-off between two Mayoral candidates, but that run-off will not include the current Mayor of Gilbert. Not to get all political on the readers here, but let’s just say his absence in the general election does not sadden me.
I greatly appreciate the time the 4 candidates who wrote posts here spent. They didn’t have to do that. Hopefully it was able to provide a little additional insight into the folks running for these important local offices.
Thanks for the updates; how fun that 3 of the 4 that guest posted here got into the run offs!
The polling place locator is definitely a nice touch. I think this kind of technology really helps stimulate a bigger turnout even for these local elections that can fly under the radar.