Timing of local elections

Last year, Blacksburg's Mayor Rordam took the bold political step of suggesting that the town move its elections from May until November.  This was an attempt to restore equality in the voting process, which had been taken over by a vocal and highly organized minority group with a specific agenda.  The minority group, the TaliBURG, certainly have some good points in seeking to limit unbridled and unplanned growth in the community.  However, due to limited turnout for local elections, their political power has swelled out of proportion to their numbers.  Realizing that motivating the majority to go to the polls to offset the minority takeover, Rordam sought to bring more voices into the discussion by recognizing that many more people will turn out on major election dates, and thus will be available to vote in the local races as well.  Of course, the special interest TaliBURG came up with all sorts of reasons why this was a bad idea, chief of which was that the important local issues would be lost in the shuffle of the major elections.

But that is simply not true.  If, as they assert, the TaliBURG actually represent the majority of Blacksburg voters, and if, as they assert, their way is the only right way and anybody can see that, then they should not care on which date the election is held.  Clearly, they don't believe their own press.

Now we are seeing the same sort of activity in Christiansburg, and we are getting the same sort of resistance.  The current power brokers in Cburg, if there can truly be said to be any power brokers, are elected by the Kiwanis Club and their friends, voting essentially as a block.  It has been that way for years, and has resulted in the good-ol-boy government you see in Cburg.

Recently, a few dedicated citizens have begun to publicly hold the TC accountable by attending all the meetings and reporting through various blogs.  This activism has definitely resulted in some changes to the actions of council members now that they know somebody is watching.  It's been good for the town.

But the issue of dates for local elections is testing that new semi-openness.  The powers that be seem to be aligning themselves to oppose the effort to move the elections.  Some citizens have requested a referendum, and essentially asserted that it is the only legal means to resolve the issue.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

If the elections are moved to November, then we will know that things are changing for the better.

If not, then Kiwanis still rules.