The issues in the mayoral runoff

Jeff Siegel at the Advocate is wondering whether “ethics reform,” something mayoral candidate David Kunkle has decided to make a big deal in his runoff with Mike Rawlins, really resonates with voters. The answer is “of course not.”

It’s really quite simple. The only issues voters care about are those that directly affect their everyday lives. On the national level, it’s the economy, which translated means “Why is it I can’t get a job or at least one that pays me what I’m worth?”

On the local level there are a number of issues:

• “Why can’t the city keep the streets I drive on everyday in decent shape?”
• “Am I going to need to put steel bars on the windows of my home so I can feel safe when I go to sleep at night?”
• “What? They’re going to put low-cost housing only a block away from where I live? Next thing you’ll be telling me is that they plan to build a Wall-Mart a block in the other direction. Whaaaat???”
• “Are my kids going to have a safe place to play between the time school lets out and I get home from work?”
• “When is that ugly pile of debris on the corner going to be finally hauled away? It’s been the neighborhood eyesore for months now.”
• “Look, I don’t give a crap about tollroads, wave pools and convention center hotels. All I want is a halfway decent supermarket in my neighborhood. Perhaps a Starbucks even. And, while you’re at it, a movie theater would be nice.”
• “Is anybody ever going to do anything about that abandoned boarded up house with all the junk cars in the front yard and weeds growing all over the place where all the gang members loudly gather late at night to smoke crack?”
• “Highrise? Highrise? They’re going to build a highrise? What do they think Dallas is? A city?”
• “I don’t care if another Borders does close. At least we still have our public libraries. What’s that you say?”

No, ethics reform and the budget deficit gap are not big issues with municipal voters. And the reason we have such a poor turnout for our municipal elections is because we don’t have candidates with the guts to address those issues that are important.