ARE GULFPORT ELECTIONS NON-PARTISAN?
The first of a series.
Well, election time is here again. This is the time of year when us political “junkies” are truly happy. This is the time of year when we can revel in the advantages of our wonderful democracy and get into the nitty-gritty of well fought political campaigns here in town. It’s also the time of year when some weaknesses in our old system show themselves.
According to our city charter, elections in Gulfport are supposed to be non-partisan, that is they are to be run without regard to political party affiliation. Under state law parties are prohibited from interfering with a non-partisan election and are subject to a substantial fine if they do.
It was upsetting in 2009 that elements of partisanship in our Gulfport City Council Election began to show their ugly heads. We chose to ignore the early evidence of partisanship on the basis that it might have been a one time thing. However, signs of a recurrence have already begun to appear in the early stages of this, our 2010 election. What follows is an exploration of our non-partisan status and how we got that way. The second of this series will discuss our slide into partisanship and what we should do about it, if anything.
Cities are free to choose whether they want partisan or non-partisan elections. Most municipalities in Florida conduct non-partisan elections. Usually, it is the larger, more complex cities that choose partisanship and the smaller cities that do not. Our forebears chose non-partisan elections as being most appropriate to our size and condition.
Our entire charter when speaking of elections describes a non-partisan system and in Section 506 clearly states that party affiliations are not to appear on our ballots.
In addition to our quaint and unique physical characteristics, Gulfport prides itself on having a tradition of being a friendly little community where you can get to know much of the population as friends and where volunteerism and collegiality colors our public affairs. We have had some recent tiffs over issues like the dredging of Clam Bayou, the efficacy of the looper trolley and the wisdom of installing a mooring field, but these are real issues and need to be debated and carefully considered due to their importance to the city’s present and future.
Partisan politics, tends by its very nature, to be divisive and ideology driven. In order to avoid, as much as possible, divisions in their closely knit community, the drafters of our charter apparently decided that non-partisanship was the best way to go about it. Practical solutions to practical problems without a lot of outside influence appears to be the driving motive of the drafters.
Our forebears appear to have believed that people involved in local politics should be motivated by the good they can do for the city, not for the good they can do for their party or their own political careers outside the city. Given the example of the relatively selfless service to Gulfport given by many local citizen/politicians over so many years appears to validate our forebears’ decision to keep partisan politics out of Gulfport.
Very recently we have heard reference to, “divisiveness” and “special interest groups,” in our political discourse at City Council Meetings. In fact at an October 9, 2009 City Council Workshop where rules of procedure were being discussed, the desire for, “collegiality,” seemed to out weigh the desire for rules of order. Are we losing our ability to work things out as a community? Is there some new thing upsetting our traditionally cooperative nature?
Could it be that partisan politics is sneaking into our local scene? Could partisanship be dividing our community? In the next part of this series, we will study the Ward 4 City Council race in 2009 in order to determine the extent to which partisan politics may have stuck its nose under the tent of Gulfport’s non-partisanship and the affect it may have on our current and future elections.
The signs of partisanship in Ward 4′s elections were obvious but not official, which is what I’m assuming your recognizing again. Fines can be applied to blatant offenders, but if the system is manipulated this year, as it was in the former election, what exactly can be done?
In the questions from the league of Women Voters the candidates were asked if they agreed that our elections should not be interfered with from outside Gulfport, and all agreed with that position. Mr. Henderson stated that he had no control over what his friends did though, so how does rules of nonpartisanship apply when the interference is not official?
In the case of Henderson and Ward 4, his statement was not exactly accurate, with that I mean, his friends weren’t really the only ones trying to manipulate the election, his Campaign Manager Ian O’Hara is not a local, and a campaign coordinator Mike Fox, President of the Pinellas Progressives, was not his friend. Fox is the person who publicized the statement that Sam was the only Democrat running on the Ward 4 ticket, so how does Henderson’s explanation jive with the facts, and how do you stop outside interference?
Again were faced with the same dilemma, in the race for Ward 1 your colleague on the P&Z David Hastings is being managed by Ian O’Hara and promoted by Michele King. King was also a major player in the Henderson sElection. Now that “Our man Sam” is drinking buddies with the Mayor one has to wonder how much interference he is responsible for?
The question that I’m faced with today is how is Ian O’Hara going to package Mr. Hastings to make him palatable to the public, when most accounts of his personality are that he not a congenial man? Some accounts say that David Hastings is reckless in business and others say he has no respect for the law.
For myself, just knowing that David Hastings voted for the Site Plan on 1431 49th street that inserted a toxic smoker into a residential area is enough to convince me of his recklessness, thoughtlessness, and indifference to the health and safety of our citizens and environment, not to mention the value of our property and reputation as a Green City and a Community for a Lifetime.
Because of the interference in our last sElection it is imperative that we examine all the candidates for affiliations and associations with outside influences, to protect our nonpartisan representation.
Ian O’Hara IS a Gulfport resident, residing in Ward IV
Ian O’Hara IS a Gulfport resident, residing in Ward IV
Thanks, I have an address for another Ian O’Hara evidently, or an older address. So that leaves Mike Fox who operated under the management of O’Hara.
[...] season, raising the question: What are the appropriate boundaries between religion and politics?ARE GULFPORT ELECTIONS NON-PARTISAN? | GULFPORT WATCHDOGThe first of a series. Well, election time is here again. This is the time of year when us political [...]
I have spoken to Mike Fox, and he told me that he is not participating in the Gulfport Elections, he is currently working an election in Oldsmar.