“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;”>Last month East St. Louis voters went to the polls to narrow the field of candidates for the upcoming mayoral and city council general election.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Mayor Alvin Parks received 2,587 votes, city councilman Delbert Marion got 1,364 votes and former ESL mayor Carl Officer 1,327 votes in a primary contest in which only 25 percent of registered voters showed up to vote (and that’s not a typo).
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>That is a troubling thought, given the myriad challenges facing East St. Louis, the subpar (and oftentimes inept) performance of Parks during the past four years, and the need for a major paradigm shift in the manner in which ESL’s business is conducted.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>How 75 percent of registered voters, whether out of frustration, laziness, apathy or ignorance, could stay home and refuse to weigh-in on THEIR future is beyond my capacity to comprehend; but it underscores the dire state of politics and sense of hopelessness in ESL.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>With all of the international unrest and protests of regimes in Northern Africa and the Middle East, as of late, it occurred to me that East Boogie could learn a thing or two from protestors in Egypt, Libya, Iran and Bahrain.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Certainly, I’m not advocating violence or terrorism or some coup to subvert the democratic process. However, one has to respect the commitment, on the part of protestors in these countries, to eliminating tyrants, inept government and regimes whose arrogance, corruption and sense of entitlement run counter to the will of the people.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>These protestors, despite media spin, are simply saying ENOUGH! You gotta’ go and NOW!
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>On April 5, 2011, voters will again be given the opportunity to have a voice in their governance, not only at City Hall but in the ESL School Board elections as well, another area in which malfeasance, ineptitude and arrogance have been the order of the day for far too long.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Mayor Parks has no motivation to generate additional voter turnout, given that he nearly had the combined number of votes of both Officer and Marion.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>However, one positive development (since the primary) was the decision by Delbert Marion to end his candidacy for mayor and throw his support to Carl Officer. That was a responsible and selfless move on the part of Marion, who is obviously more concerned with good government versus his ego.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Marion and Officer’s combined supporters, as well as additional votes from those who chose not to participate in the primary contest would be enough to defeat Parks in the general election, provided that Marion and Officer proceed with some sense of urgency.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>If they had continued to squabble over the right to be “King of the hill”, then Parks would probably have waltzed right back into office, “Cheshire cat grin” and all (along with his
“mso-spacerun: yes;”> humiliate ESL voters for another four years.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>This has to come as a major blow to Parks’ camp because now the playing field has been leveled and any hopes of an easy win, based upon divide-and-conquer politics, have been eliminated.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Now that doesn’t mean that Officer will simply cruise to an easy victory. Parks will campaign for his life and for Officer to underestimate the will and work ethic of Parks, his family and their sycophants would spell another defeat due to a lack of hard work.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Anyone can lose a political contest, but no one has the right to take the voters for granted and simply go through the motions of a “campaign”.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Incompetence organized will always defeat competence which suffers from a lack of organization. Officer and his supporters should remember that this time around.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>ESL citizens don’t have to resort to protests and rioting in the streets; but it wouldn’t hurt to look at the current international unrest as a source of inspiration and motivation for why they MUST go to the polls on April 5.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>East Boogie isn’t the Middle East or North Africa. Yet when ESL voters abdicate their power by staying home on election day it might as well be.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com
