My Excuse For Light Posting Today

(Cartoon image is by Jeff Parker in Florida Today.)

I know that posting on this blog was a bit light today, and there's a good reason for that (at least I think it's a good reason). I spent most of Saturday working at the election polls. I left home at 6:20am and returned at 8:20pm -- and after 14 straight hours of doing my best to make it easy for my fellow citizens to vote, I was exhausted. I will hopefully return to form (be that good or bad) after I've gotten some rest.

Democrat Has Huge Lead In NYC Race

There's still a few weeks to go, but the first two polls show Democrat Bill de Blasio has a huge lead in the New York City mayor's race against Republican Joe Lhota and Independence Party candidate Adolfo Carrion. In the NBC/WSJ/Marist Poll (done on September 15th and 16th of 930 registered voters -- with a 3.2 point margin of error), de Blasio has a 43 point lead over Lhota and a 59 point lead over Carrion.

The Quinnipiac University Poll (done between September 15th and 18th of 891 likely voters -- with a 3.3 point margin of error) verifies that huge lead by de Blasio. Quinnipiac has him with a 41 point lead over Lhota and a 64 point lead over Carrion. I have included the demographic breakdown for the Quinnipiac poll to show that deBlasio leads by a large margin with every race, income level, gender, educational level and age group.

Lhota (and Carrion) have a very large mountain to climb just to get back in this race.

REPENT AMARILLO Leader Is Crushed In City Election

David Grisham is a self-appointed preacher (and unemployed security guard). He is also the leader of a tiny organization called Repent Amarillo. He and his few followers have received national news coverage for trying to burn a Quran (he failed) and for a YouTube video showing them shooting a blow-up Santa doll (he thinks Santa is a heathen). They have also picketed (and threatened) community people, bands, and organizations they think are "sinful".

Recently, Grisham (pictured) became a candidate for mayor of Amarillo. Several national blogs and others got upset at this. They seemed to think that in an area as conservative and religious as the Texas Panhandle Grisham would actually have a chance of winning the city election. They need not have worried. While Amarillo is a very red area (and very religious), it is not filled with people as insane as Grisham.

That city election was held yesterday, and Grisham finished in tenth place out of eleven candidates. He could not even get 100 votes (and you know his followers all went to the polls). In a city of nearly 200,000 people that's a pretty pitiful showing. In fact, the transgendered woman who ran for mayor got about four times as many votes as Grisham did. You know that has to chap his bigoted butt!

Here are the results of the mayoral election:

Paul Harpole...............11,428 (77%)
(establishment candidate)

Roy D. McDowell...............1,867 (13%)

Sandra Dunn...............387 (3%)
(transgendered candidate)

Drew Alexander...............300 (2%)

Steve Dawson...............221 (1%)

Jim Brokenbek...............141 (1%)

Rodney Johnson...............125 (1%)

Ryan Vigil...............116 (1%)

Grady Traves...............104 (1%)

David Grisham...............98 (1%)
(Repent Amarillo nut-job) 

William Jean...............23 (1%)

So anyone who was worried that Grisham and his Repent Amarillo cohorts were some kind of growing social movement can rest easy. They are far closer to social outcasts, and the election has exposed just how tiny and ineffectual they really are. They basically had their heads handed to them by the people of Amarillo.

In other election news, it looks like the city's monied establishment had a very good night. Their candidate, Paul Harpole, won the mayor's race easily with about 77% of the total vote. I can't say that was unexpected since there really wasn't a strong candidate in the field to oppose him.

I was disappointed in the "single member districts" proposition outcome though. Amarillo is far too large to still be electing city commissioners at-large, but the proposition to create single-member districts was badly defeated (11,116 to 3,517). The establishment had run TV commercials with the mayor saying property taxes would double if single-member districts were created. It was a lie and made no sense, but evidently the scare tactic worked. It looks like it's going to take a court order to get this changed and spread the political power to all parts of the city.

And of course, the election was held on electronic voting machines with no paper trail. So there's no way to know if the votes were counted as cast (and no way to do a recount). That needs to be changed. It'll probably have to take a court order to change that too, since the Republican city leaders see no problem with it (because they control it).

Bigotry In Mayoral Race ?

A few days ago I posted about a new candidate that entered the race for mayor here in Amarillo. That candidate was a transgendered woman named Sandra Dunn -- at least that is the name she is living under and the name she is called by all her friends and acquaintances. But it seems that that name is not acceptable to the powers that control Amarillo elections.

It seems that while Ms. Dunn is living as Sandra Dunn she has not completed the legal court process to officially change her name. Now the election officials are saying she must use her old name on the ballot. They said it was a state law and they tossed her off the ballot. OK, maybe that's true. Ms. Dunn complied with their wishes and completed new paperwork to get on the ballot. She filed as F.E. (Sandra Dunn) Dunaway.

But that was not good enough for the election officials either. Now they don't like the space between Sandra and Dunn. What the hell!? They don't like a space? That sounds more than a little picky to me. If she takes the space out, which she probably will do, what are they going to find to complain about next?

This is one of the reddest cities in Texas, and its chock full of right-wing fundamentalists (who are probably horrified at Dunn's candidacy). I hope this isn't just the start of repeated efforts to keep her off the ballot. I may be wrong, but it's starting to have the rancid smell of bigotry.

Election Shows Need For Single-Member Districts

The election in Amarillo to fill all four spots on the City Commission shows clearly the need for single-member districts in the city. As usual, four middle-class white guys from the same part of the city were elected.

Of course, they all claim they will represent all of the city. But a drive around the various sections of Amarillo shows that would be something new, if it happens at all. It is only natural for someone to represent the part of the city he lives in better than other parts of the city.

I'm not saying these candidates are evil or intentionally neglect other parts of the city. They just naturally want to take care of their own first. It is the system that is evil, because it denies representation to all but one section of the city - the section where the money lives.

These folks in the southwestern section like the system as it is, because it allows them to control the entire city. Instituting a single-member district plan would take that control away from them and spread the power throughout the city. That is why they oppose single-member districts.

But they can't say they don't want to share the power, so they come up with other excuses. One of these excuses is that there's not enough minorities to create districts for them. This argument ignores the fact that many poor and working class Whites in other parts of the city are also denied representation. Their needs may not coincide at all with those of the controlling monied interests.

It also ignores the basic make-up of the city's population. According the the U.S. Census Bureau's breakdown of Amarillo's population, the following was true in the 2000 census:

African-American............6.0%

Native American..............0.7%

Asian................................1.6%

Pacific Islanders..............0.2%

Hispanics........................26.3%

Simple math tells me this is 34.8% percent of the population. This is a pretty large portion of the population to be without representation.

Another reason those in power use to avoid single-member districts is the "unity" argument. They say they want a unified city, and to go to single-member districts would divide the city. What a silly argument! We're not talking about dividing the city, but sharing the power.

If the unity argument held water, then it would be best to have all our senators and representatives to run state-wide. But if this happened, all senators and reps would come from Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston and San Antonio, and the Panhandle would be left without representation (or the power that comes with it).

The fact is that single-member districts are a way to share power among all the citizens. I can understand that those in power don't want to share it, but it still should be done.

Recently the Texas NAACP said it would help in the push for single-member districts in Amarillo, but said a lawsuit was not an option. I believe this is a mistake. ALL options should remain on the table. The stakes are too high to eliminate any option.

Vote Erik Williams For Amarillo City Commission

I have not lived in Amarillo for long, but I am really starting to like living here. In that spirit, I wish to endorse Erik Williams for City Commissioner - Place 4. I doubt if enough Amarillo residents read this site to be any real help to Erik in the upcoming May 12th election, but I've never been known to let little things like that stop me.

One of the main reasons I'm supporting Erik Williams, other than the fact that I've met him and like him a lot, is the fact that he supports the single-member district concept for the City Commission. I must admit that I was rather shocked to find that Amarillo does not have single-member districts. This is a concept that has already been established in most cities of Amarillo's size (and larger). Single-member districts are the only way to assure that all parts of a large city receive equal treatment.

Here is what my candidate, Erik Williams has to say on the subject:

Single Member Districts are the future of political representation for our city. We need a modern system of citizen participation in government, one that recognizes a century of growth and diversification in our community’s population. Representation by a member from our own district is a fundamental organizing principle of republican government.

The defeat of single member districts at the ballot box did not happen because most of Amarillo wanted it defeated. Most of Amarillo does want single member districts. Only one area of Amarillo seems to want to keep things as they are, and having managed to turn out more voters, has told the rest of Amarillo how it will elect its commissioners.

The system may not be broken but it is starting to break, and that has been recognized by some. I believe Mayor Debra McCartt has done well moving the commission from its chambers to its meetings out in the community. But personalities alone cannot solve the problem inherent in a century-old institution. In time the easy path will lead them back to council chambers and the historic neglect of our neighborhoods.

We are often reminded of how important it is that only someone from our region can represent the interests of the Panhandle in Austin or Washington, not someone from across the state in Houston or across the country in Oregon. Yet we are told someone from well across town can represent our neighborhood. It only takes a phone call. But isn’t it just as easy to call someone living in Houston or Oregon?

Our commissioners cannot just represent the few who contribute or vote. In a democracy the interests of the many must be considered. We should have commissioners in our own neighborhoods that can assure us of direct and fair representation.

Other issues supported by Erik Williams are the revitalization of the downtown area, and the modernization of vital city services. If you also believe in fair representation and a vital and growing Amarillo, I urge you to consider voting for Erik Williams on May 12th. For more information, drop by and visit his website.