In striking contrast to its recent elections, an air of nonchalance reigned over Atlantic Beach today as voters trickled to the polls for a Town Council special election.
By early afternoon, only 33 votes had been cast as residents chose between Josephine Isom, John Sketers and Kantrese Wright to fill the vacancy on the Town Council left by Retha Pierce's election to mayor in January. The high-tension atmosphere of that election -- with its series of Supreme Court orders, campaigning complaints, contested ballots and even contested candidates -- was largely absent today.
Three blocks from the community center, Isom was hosting a few friends for a front-yard fish fry, while Sketers walked the streets and spoke to voters. Signs for all three candidates sat on a corner where a TV reporter interviewed a public-housing resident.
The only pollwatcher today was Michael Isom, the candidate's son, who chatted casually with Housing Authority chairman Gary Bell and the poll workers. The voter rolls showed 333 registered voters, up by about 20 from three months ago, but poll manager Stephanie Simmons said she had seen no one that she felt the need to challenge.
In the December and January mayoral elections, by contrast, nine or ten people signed up as poll watchers, and Simmons threw several voters with questionable addresses out.
Mayor Pierce voted about 1:30 p.m., then stepped outside and sat on a bench next to new election commissioner Lynda Booker and opposite Councilman Donnell Thompson, with whom she has sparred in several recent council meetings. Between cell phone calls, Thompson said he expected a low turnout today and the probable need for a runoff between the day's top two vote-getters.
"I don't think anybody is going to win more than 50 percent of the vote. We just don't know which two its going to be,'' Thompson said, noting that the likelihood of the need for a second election might be suppressing the day's vote, like a primary. "They know this isn't going to be the final one."
Casual? You mean they were supposed to get dressed up?
Maybe your reading of the mood was wrong? Maybe what you call "casual" was really apathy. Knowing no matter what they do or who they vote for the town will continue to be an embarassment (and an embarassment of riches to local comedians).
By the way-isnt running for City Council in AB a lot like running for the first mates job on the Titanic?
Posted by: prefab sprout | April 14, 2009 at 04:23 PM
Seems all elected folks now days are an embarassment of the American people. We no longer have any common sense folks, its what pads the pocket or what you gonna do for me
Posted by: jj | August 16, 2009 at 04:14 PM