Last weeks poll

This article is pure commentary and speculation and as such it is more column than reporting. Though it's marginally news as it's topical and addresses various persistent rumors, the point of this post is to generate discussion (hopefully in out comments section).

Last weeks poll results had a clear winner. We asked readers if they would support replacing the Mayor by election or appointment and if election was their choice, when it should be held. With rumors all over Overland concerning different ways to address replacing Mayor Purzner, I thought I'd toss out the most viable ones and get people's opinions. Your responses were clear. 81% of you said we should hold an election in August.

As for the other options. There have been some credible reasons people support them. There are those who support a November election because they want all the potential candidates to have more time to properly campaign. There are others who support appointing a replacement because they want to see this issue resolved as soon as possible and hope to avoid a potentially contentious Mayor's race that could divide the city further.

In my opinion the appointment option would be a disaster. Everyone who signed the petition to recall Mayor Purzner was told there would be an election to replace her should the recall succeed. If the City decides to appoint rather than elect the next Mayor I suspect the majority of those people will be upset. The effort to avoid dividing Overland further could result in irreparably splintering the City in my opinion. When you consider Overland's political history I would imagine that significantly fewer people would have signed the Mayoral recall petition if they were told that some politicians in the future would choose the replacement for them.

The November election option is certainly more viable than appointing a replacement. However, why do we need to wait so long? It would allow potential candidates more time to campaign and make their case to the public. However, it would also mean that Overland will see political campaigns from now until April 2008, as a November Mayor's race would run right into the April Council campaigns. I'm concerned that a never-ending campaign season could turn a lot of potential voters off and drive citizen participation down. We want more residents to get involved not less. Also, when you consider all those who have been rumored to be interested in running, none so far are unknowns in Overland, so how much campaigning is really needed?

Personally, I support the August election option. I agree that we want to resolve this issue as soon as possible. The sooner we fill the Mayor's seat the sooner Overland can move forward. Until we permanently replace the Mayor, the question of who will fill that chair will likely dominate, and in some way hinder progress at City Hall. Overland needs to move forward and the first step in doing that is resolving unfinished business. Replacing the Mayor is important to most (if not all) voting residents and the majority seems to want this done sooner rather than later. Though appointment would resolve this issue even sooner it would be a political nightmare as residents would feel cheated. They were told there would be an election if Mayor Purzner was recalled and they want that election.

One step in the right direction for the City of Overland is if the City would really start listening to the residents. On this issue it seems clear that the residents want to elect the next Mayor and they want in done as soon as possible. Whether the city chooses to listen or go its own way will be a clear sign of what we can expect in the road ahead.

If an August election is to happen, the new Council will have to get going on it right away as the cut off date to add something to the August ballot is in May. Any delays could prevent this election from happening. Hopefully, this urgency has been considered and the new Council candidates will be prepared to hit the ground running.