My sincere thanks to everyone who voted in the Primary on Tuesday. Sadly, only 19% of the eligible voters came out that day. I am, however, very proud of my district (72-2) which I had been told is not worth bothering with because voter turnout is always so low here. We had 173 voters, while the supposedly busier and more worthwhile 73-5 had 168 voters.
One of my goals going forward is to increase voter participation in the 72nd district. The city has been ignoring this neighborhood for many, many years (we've been asking to have the sidewalks repaired/replaced for just over a decade with no results), and one reason surely must be the low voter turnout. In fact, there seems to be a direct correlation between neighborhoods known to have high voter turnout and neighborhoods that are well-maintained by the city.
At some point when I have time, I'll write up a long article about my experiences on the campaign trail. But first I have a few household chores to get caught up on!
As a resident of the 72nd District, I have always found it discouraging to view the candidates profiles and see an overabundance of them residing in Bunker Hill or Townplot. It was encouraging to see that you actually live in the "traditional" north end, and was a factor for me to actually get out and vote in the primary.
ReplyDeleteSince the powers that be in Waterbury do not want aldermen by district, a grassroots effort to field qualified candidates in the 72nd District and get the voters to participate seems the only way to go.