March 17 is an election day. Are you excited? OK, maybe not. I realize only some will be able to vote in the presidential preference primary (it is a closed primary, open to only registered Democrats or Republicans), but everyone who is registered to vote in Palm Beach County can vote in the uniform municipal elections.
So, if you’re registered to vote in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Briny Breezes, South Palm Beach or Lantana, you need to get yourself to your polling place on election day.
Here’s why: These municipalities will be electing officials who will be charged with deciding how your tax dollars will be spent. They will also be passing legislation that attempts to keep you safe and to maintain your coastal quality of life. It’s not an easy job.
There are big-ticket expenditures on the horizon in our cities and towns: aging infrastructure repair, beach and dune erosion, rising groundwater from accelerated sea level rise and septic-to-sewer conversion, to name just a few.
At The Coastal Star our policy is to not do candidate endorsements. We do, however, run profiles of each person running for office. This information is provided by the candidates. So, how should you choose which candidates are best for your town? I’d suggest looking to see which ones attend meetings regularly or have participated on advisory boards before running for office. Sometimes it’s good to have an outside perspective, but understanding how municipal governments work reduces the learning required and shows that a candidate is willing to be a team player — an important skill when determining how a community moves forward.
Also take a look at the makeup of the commission: Does everyone come from the same neighborhood or condo? Are all parts of town represented in decision-making? Loading up commissions and advisory boards with single-purpose members is fraught with the potential for litigation. And when city hall gets sued, the taxpayers pay the bill.
And maybe most important: Is the candidate willing to listen to all of the residents? The ones with deep pockets and the ones without? The quiet ones as well as the ones who organize to storm city hall?
Listening is essential to being a good public servant. Remember, that’s what these candidates will be: your represen-tatives. Vote.
— Mary Kate Leming, Editor
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