"We have a lot of work to do to ensure that everyone is aware that an election is happening and I take seriously (the) point about participation rates, though I would still prefer the collective wisdom of 100,000 District 3 residents over the collective wisdom of 10 councilmembers," Mayor Matt Mahan said before the vote.
"I know it's expensive, but no one said democracy is easy. It's the price we have to pay. If you make an appointment and we wait for another two years to come up with an election, you're going to have a lot of disgruntled people in District 3," resident Jeff Levine said in public comment.
Councilmembers who favored an appointment argued special elections are more costly and tend to yield lower voter turnout favoring wealthier candidates. But a majority of councilmembers argued it's time to let voters choose their next leader and close off one of the darkest chapters in city history.
More than a dozen residents spoke at the meeting, with most favoring a special election. Various downtown economic interest groups showed up to echo Levine's comments, indicating strong community support for the special election.
Collection
[
|
...
]