Harbison: Election by Apathy

Jim Harbison

Well we have experienced another City election and the Progressive movement has taken firm and total control over the City Council. Now there isn’t even a token conservative on the Council to speak for the conservative community. Mayor Miyagishima proudly proclaimed his election by a significant majority. I would contend that he and this Council were elected by a landside - a landslide of apathy since he was elected by about 11% of the eligible voters. More than 80% of the registered voters failed to vote for him or participate in the one of the most sacred rights of our American form of government - the right to vote. Failure to vote does not indicate support for the direction the City Council has taken in the past any more than it indicates disappointment. It just reflects a serious apathy and that the public doesn’t care one way or the other. It could also indicate that the public feels so disenfranchised that voting no longer matters. Implementation of unpopular programs like mandatory recycling certainly leads to this sense of futility. During this campaign cycle candidates knocked on doors to discuss their position with the public only to be told “I don’t vote in City elections because it doesn’t matter. Our elected officials don’t pay any attention to what the public wants”. What a sad commentary.

Yes, elections do have consequences and obviously, I am very disappointed with the outcome of this election. However, everyone needs to accept the fact that this is our electoral process and the citizens (at least some of them) have spoken and have elected an anti-business, anti-growth City Council. I also realize that all of the citizens of Las Cruces of all political orientations need to be represented fairly and equally and hope this Council will keep that in mind as they govern for the next two years.

As we know, there are those who are convinced that “government” knows what is best for each of us and that government must intervene in our daily lives to “protect” us from ourselves. It is those with this belief that are now in control of the City Council. As a result we can anticipate seeing an increased amount of social programs and government intervention in our daily lives. After all, Progressives are convinced that their values are superior and everyone must live by their value system. They have never advocated allowing individual freedom of choice but rather dictating how everyone else is supposed to live and limit or direct what they can or cannot do.

The saddest part of this election may be the fact that the number of registered voters for each party, as well as independents had shown a significant increase since the last election. And yet, the actual number and percentage of those who voted in this election were considerably lower than the last Mayoral election. Successful and prosperous cities require citizen involvement. Not just the involvement of the activists or special interest groups but the citizenry as a whole.

Las Cruces is a great city and it has lured or inspired many people to move here. What draws people to make the commitment to move into a community and then dampens their interest in selecting its leaders for the future? It would seem that they should have a significant vested interest in the future direction of the city they had chosen to live in no matter if they moved here to work or retire. Many claim they don’t know enough about what is going on in the city to make a decision about political races even though they have lived here for several years. They should because policies of any city determine the quality of life they will experience and the amount of individual freedoms they will retain.

Las Cruces City Hall

From my perspective, those of you who failed to vote have forfeited your right to be heard. This applies to all political parties or groups as well. You have demonstrated that you have no concern about the future of the City or your individual rights and freedoms. You have also failed to confirm or reject the policies of the City Council or help them with its future direction. Every time a public policy requires a private citizen to ask government for permission, another freedom is lost. There are many policies the City is proposing that will require you to ask for their permission so it is imperative you become responsible citizens and get involved.

Harbison: Election by Apathy