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Inside A Good News-Bad News “Party”
Running for office is like being the pitcher in a baseball game, or quarterback. If you win, you are a “hero,” if you lose, you are a “bum,” or at least you feel the pain and inevitable isolation. Even surrounded by friends who care for you, your inner self is vulnerable and exposed.
Last night at the Left Coast Oyster Bar, the election results came so quickly after the polls closed, that I needed to double check. Website creator John Patten announced the win for Jim Bennett and Emilio Carlesimo after a phone conversation with Lori Stelzer. I asked Herald Tribune reporter Kim Hackett, just off the phone, if she had the same result--she did.
Scene:
Jim Bennett and Ted Koszarski and their wives and friends were both there. The group was, naturally, delighted that Jim won. But there was Ted, disappointment registering on his face. Many in the group went to speak with him, to congratulate him on putting himself on the line and trying to do what he thought was good for Venice. You know that your words are not going to make the pain go away, but you hope that some of it will stick and help the spirit rebound. A number of people pointed out that Ernie Zavodnyik had lost the first time and won the second. Emilio had lost last year. Ted began to think about the future when an open seat might be contested, but who knows what the future will bring.
Electoral Politics and Governing:
The election is the “horse race” --the governing is “The Marathon.” I don’t know what the election results mean--everybody has a guess. Was it a referendum on the Council--up for more participation in government, no financial special interest backers--up for protecting the City from over-development, too much height and density--up for new parks and environmental concerns? Or was it a criticism of a Council caught up in the Sunshine lawsuit and its expenses and disputes over the airport, with avid supporters and detractors? One winner--one loser.
A reporter asked me before the election returns if I thought the election was “a referendum” on the Council. I said that was too simple. There were real people campaigning, people with policies, people with personalities, with different qualifications, even different political affiliations (in a “non-partisan, gulp, race.)
I think the election results suggest these factors played a role, along with others. Since humans act on “unconscious” motivations as well as “rational” ones, particularly when emotions are strong as they are for many in elections, what moves people to support a candidate is like an iceberg, mostly under the surface.
Community Service/Constituent Service--The Venetian Golf and River Club.
Despite the unthinking references to the wonderful Golden Beach neighborhood where a number of Council Members live, including Emilio now, I have commented that the area where I had the most interactions with citizens, forums, emails, visits, etc. was “The Venetian Golf and River Club.”
Joined by most Council Members, we sought to help resolve problems caused by previous City annexations of industrial and residential properties without adequate buffering. We also worked to solve the problem created by Laurel Road being the only exit from the area near the Myakka River. If the Laurel and I-75 interchange were closed by an accident, fire, etc. the residents were “trapped.” Our police and fire departments have identified an emergency exit, not paved, but usable and made an emergency plan offering relief to the neighbors.
In the comprehensive plan and in zoning actions the Council has worked to help resolve neighbors' interests and appropriate development. Those efforts appear to have been viewed positively.
Politically, neighbors at the Venice Golf and River Club, have arrived. They have organized well and, have recognized that the Council, far from being concerned only with the “Island,” offered multiple person support, not just that one district council member could offer.
They provided the winning margin for Bennett.
