2006-05-16 - 6:01 p.m.
I voted for the first time in North Philadelphia today. I think one of the pollworkers actually walked into the booth with me and showed me where to vote for the "correct" ward leader. I'm not really sure. It was very strange.
It was about 9AM when I voted, and I was the second person to show up that day. This depressed me. I kept thinking that maybe I should get out and register some people to vote, but I never got around to it. I don't think folks really knew there was an election on.
Sadly, today was not a completely irrelevant Primary. Locally, Rep. Curtis Thomas had an opponent for the Democratic nomination. I still expect Rep. Thomas to win it, but he only represents a sliver of Philadelphia and it would be worth the people in his district realizing that if he lost the primary he'd be out, after serving there for some 20 years. I don't know anything about his challenger, but I've met Rep. Thomas a bunch of times and I certainly know I can count on him on any issue I care about. So I voted for him.
More interestingly, Valery McDonald-Roberts is something of a dark horse candidate for the ceremonial post of Lt. Governor. Except, Roberts is articulate and smart. She has a great track record in Pittsburgh. She'd be, I'm pretty sure, the first African-American elected to that post. Perhaps most interestingly of all, though, Pennsylvania's last two elected Governor's have bowed out before their terms were up, which meant the Lieutenant's took over. It could happen with Valerie.
I've met Roberts a couple times, and she seems really great. All I managed to do for her is hang a sign up in my window. When I first met her, I didn't think she had a chance, but in the last few weeks she's picked up the endorsement of every newspaper in the state. Why? Well, in part, because the incumbent number two is really too old to be really competent. She needs to move on, step down, leave us alone. But she hasn't and she won't and her name recognition may allow her to coast to victory. Which would be too bad. Again, I probably could have been some help.
I feel somewhat more resolved to get out and try to get some people voting in a somewhat coordinated fashion by November. Where I live, the turnout effort is not too intense. This isn't the first time I voted in Philly, but I had trouble caring when I lived in Yuppieville. I didn't have a sense that the folks there felt rooted to those streets or really expected to stay. In my current neighborhood, though, people have issues and they want to stick around. Some work could use to be done up there but it's also not a bad place.
They'd get more attention if they turned out. Votes are power in this town in a way that they aren't necessarily elsewhere, and that's because there's not nearly so much money to go around here as there are votes.
So we'll see. I've been at a bit of a tactical paralysis, but I guess if I just start knocking on doors I'll figure something out.
GO! My Web Site GO!
