I laugh my ass off reading these self-described political smarties describe tomorrow’s mayoral recall election in Fall River as a farce or a joke or ridiculous because the current mayor’s name is one of the candidates to choose from on the ballot if the recall is approved.
“Huh? Ernie, WTF are you talking about? Who the hell can understand what you just said?”
I know. See it’s like this.
Tomorrow is the recall election. The voters have two questions on the ballot.
1. A yes vote id for recalling the mayor. A no vote is to let him stay.
2. If the mayor is recalled whom do you choose to be the next mayor.
Then it lists eight or nine names as replacements. One of them is the current mayor, a chap by the name of Flannigan.
Okay, you have all that? Do you see the problem here?
It’s not that the mayor’s name is on the ballot it’s that they have a contingent election on the same day using the same ballot.
These idiots in the media who see this as a dumb way to do it because the mayor’s name is on the ballot, like the jamokes at Commonwealth Magazine, never fail to miss the point.
The best way for me to explain the Monty Python logic of this procedure is to ask you to close your eyes and imagine you live in Everett where everyone and his brother and sister are big shot locals protecting their turf. (BTW the Fall River recall needed less than a thousand signatures to go forward.)
Because they can get their names on the a contingent vote beneath the recall their is incentive for a few to get the recall signatures (easy) and then go at it in the contingent election. See what I mean? Every faction is voting for the recall in hopes that their guy might capture the small amount of votes to beat out the other candidates in what is essentially a special election.
It’s all about organization and little about the recall issue.
There should be two separate elections. One for recall and if necessary one for replacement. Tough shit if it costs money. Democracy is not cheap.
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Wow, talk about the self-important media sucking wind
judy-meredith says
a life sentence with no hope of parole.
johnmurphylaw says
Good eye, EB3, good eye. Sort of like that kid in the tale of the Emperor’s new clothes.
Mark L. Bail says
recall that somehow removes the offending official. Elections are choices.
I always crack up when I hear someone say they will get someone, occasionally me, out of an elected office. Unless a candidate runs unopposed, an election is always a choice. A recall is still a choice. You can’t just reject a candidate, someone has to fill the position through an election. People can’t just say no, they are condemned to choose.
kirth says
You know what else? They all seem to think the guy’s name is Flanagan, being too ignorant to know what fakernie knows, that it’s Flannigan. You know who else has it wrong? The mayor. What a bunch of schmucks.
eb3-fka-ernie-boch-iii says
nice try.
jconway says
You’re better than that.
johnmurphylaw says
Apparently not
progressivemax says
Do you think we will ever know? I like solving mysteries 🙂 Is your birthday really September 14 or is your birthday on facebook just a joke 😛
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