Election

I was not surprised by the outcome of the May 4th election but I was disappointed the vote tally was as low as it was. Keeping the election in May was the predominant strategy to defeat me. My detractors knew they could rally their base, those with a very narrow self interest in keeping everything exactly the same, and it would be difficult for me to get a big turnout in an off year election without spending a lot of money. Still, I worked very hard and received so much positive feedback from citizens that I thought it might have been a little closer. I would like to thank all of the folks that made phone calls, sent e-mails and literally dragged others to vote. If the district wanted voters aware of this election we would have televised the board meeting just prior to the election. We would have placed a vote today sign on the front lawn of central office and our cable channel would have been flashing a reminder with poll information locations and times. The fact that only a few polling places had signs reminding people to vote as they picked up their kids from school was a factor as well. In spite of the orchestrated effort to supress the vote it is the responsibility of all citizens to stay informed and participate in the process.