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Consider this--We are the only municipality of which I know in Palm Beach County with November local elections. Those cities that were smart enough to keep their elections in March are: BelleGlade, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Greenacres, Gulfstream, Haverhill, Highland Beach, Juno Beach, Lantana, Loxatcheee, Manalapan, Mangonia Park, Ocean Ridge, Palm Beach Gardens, Riviera Beach, South Bay, and West Palm Beach.
A few years ago, Susan Bucher spoke in front of the Commission and told them that our election should be moved back to March because it was going to cost us much more money if we should need a run-off. If our elections are forced into a run-off, we will pay more money as there will be no other city to help defray the cost. Remember Broward County's special election of several years ago that cost about $75,000 — for 204 votes.
Tomorrow night this subject is back on the Agenda for consideration. It will be a harder sell now that the voters already approved moving our elections back to November just 5 years ago and most voters equate elections to the month of November. Those voting 5 years ago totaled 3,548 with 1,644 voting NO to November elections.
Having November elections, particularly in a presidential election year, moves our candidates and issues to the bottom of what is at times a very long ballot. The negative of a majority commission voting on this is that it will keep Maxwell, Triolo and Amoroso in power for an additional four months. When it was the opposite (March to November) it allowed Jeff Clemens to stay in office an additional 8 months. As much as I disapprove of this, I still believe it is the best solution all around to have March elections--convenience and costs are big factors as well as those voters who cast their ballot are driven by the local candidate and the issues only.
This item will be on tomorrow's agenda under New Business 12-F.
They never should have changed it back then. It was just a stupid ploy to keep those people in office.
ReplyDeleteEven some of the Commissioners back then who supported the move admit that it was a mistake.
ReplyDeleteWe thought if we moved it to Nov.
ReplyDeletewe would ,get a better turn out of voters.
Lake Worth would be a perfect city to addopt "Instant Runoff Voting," aka "Ranked Choice Voting." There would be no need for a runoff no matter how many candidates were on the ballot.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely a BAD idea. The people said so in a vote just a few years ago. A public office needs to be filled because of a majority vote. Why would anyone want a minority winner, less than 50%, to win?
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