>>Valley Patriot>> |
So lets look at several races from two sides. The 20% piece and the 80% piece. First, the mayor’s race. I got a real kick out of the Tribune’s headline: Fiorentini Swamps Slavit. Too bad for Captain Red. He’s a fine man, but even though he was in a small boat, he didn’t get swamped. The fact is that his boat never set sail. He gave the voters absolutely no real reason to vote for him. Still, Red got almost 20% of those who voted for mayor. They’re still tabulating blanks and write-ins. If they amount to 5%, then there’s a 25% negative for the mayor. That’s about average, except for the fact that the election did prove one thing, namely, that the mayor’s machine is effective. both Swartz and Hetel claim that his endorsement really helped. But the flip side of this is that if the machine is effective, that means it brought out the vote. If it brought out the vote and 25% voted against it, then the mayor needs to pause before he claims that being elected with 16% of the eligible vote is a mandate for his plans. He needs to reach out and seek support if he really wants to succeed. He really needs to embrace efforts such as Team Haverhill, rather than being dragged into them kicking and screaming. It’s possible to view the 80% no-shows as the silent who consent, but to deliver on any significant promise, the mayor needs to know and show that he has more than 16% of the voters behind him. I give him credit for working hard when he didn’t have to, and for his win, but to move the city forward he now has a major task of building consensus. City Council. The story is mainly about Lou Fossarelli’s loss. First, there are few people I’d rather argue with than Lou. He’s prepared, passionate and packs a punch. He brings to every meeting what my uncle said a meeting most needed — FIRE! He lives life the same way. Some people remember with gratitude a person who persuaded them to believe something they already didn’t, and Lou did that for many. But more people remember when somebody takes something away from them whether it is a cherished belief or a holding. And Lou did even more of that when he debunked arguments and traditions. A lot of people remember that. And, of the 80% who voted, there were too many of the latter and not enough of the former. Did he lose because he criticized the mayor? If he did, then Dave Hall came in first because he criticized the mayor. The School Committee. As I write, the race is still undecided. From both the 80% piece and the 20% piece, I draw one conclusion. For someone as dedicated and committed as Kerry Fitzgerald to either lose or come close to losing her seat is astounding. It must speak to the high quality of the other candidates for their reputations and their campaigns. It will be a good committee, however the race comes out. But since Kerry’s dedication is known, the loss of her on the committee is measurable and it would be significant. *Send your questions
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A
reflection is a direct reproduction of an image. A
refraction changes an image, for example, when you look
at a stick that is half in water, the stick looks like it
is in two separate pieces, or broken. I think we have to
look at the Haverhill election like a stick in water that
is in two separate pieces. The piece that’s below
the water is the 80% of the people who didn’t vote.
The piece above water is the 20% of the people who voted
and thus determined the outcome. Democracy never assumes
a 100% turnout, but it has to be viewed in special ways
when a turnout is as low as 20%.