Vote local often

You may wonder about global warming, but it hasn’t affected you yet, so you aren’t too concerned about it right now.

Enron and Worldcom? You weren’t a stockholder, so you didn’t lose any money

The government wiretaps, legal or not, did not target your phone, so it’s easy to dismiss the situation.

And the war in Iraq has directly affected very few readers of this newspaper, and though we’re troubled by the conflict, let’s be honest -- nearly all of us are still living our lives as though there were no war.

But bring up illegal immigrants in Costa Mesa, the closing of the city’s Job Center, the proposed new city hall in Newport Beach, the expansion of St. Andrew’s Church, the development of the Marinapark property, the presence of sea lions in the harbor or any of the other local hot-button issues and there will be no shortage of opinions, no lack of people, yours truly included, who know what’s best for everyone and who wonder why everyone else doesn’t see what we see.

So it’s a mystery to some as to why the voter turnout for our local elections is so poor.

This is not just a Newport-Mesa phenomenon, it happens every year all across the country. Voters turn out for the presidential election, at least half of them anyway, but neglect the more important contests, the ones that will really determine the quality of one’s life.

Over the course of a decade, local elections are more important to your life and have more direct impact on your life than federal ones.

Quick, someone tell me what Rep. Dana Rohrabacher has done to reduce or contribute to global warming. Or is he neutral? Or name even one bill that former Rep. Chris Cox shepherded through to law.

Other than raising or lowering taxes, name one federal law in the past year that has directly affected you.

I’ll bet you can’t.

Don’t worry, because I can’t either, and neither can most other people.

But if I asked you where Costa Mesa Allan Mansoor stands on the city’s Job Center or how the Newport Beach City Council voted on the expansion of St. Andrew’s church, those in the respective cities will know.

Yet, when it comes time to vote for the people who will make these very important decisions, we’re gone fishin’.

Unfortunately, there is no glamour attached to local elections. When we vote for president or senator or for a member of the House of Representatives, we feel as though we’re making a contribution, that we’re participating in one of the great privileges of our society.

And we are. But it’s chicken soup for the democratic soul. Local elections are the meat and potatoes.

This year, the voters in Newport Beach will have the opportunity to completely make over their City Council. This year, six out of the seven City Council seats will be up for grabs.

This year, voters in Costa Mesa have the opportunity to remove Allan Mansoor from the City Council -- or keep him there if they so choose. Gary Monahan has no choice -- his time is up due to term limits. So, two of the three people who voted to close the Job Center could be replaced.

That should be good news to the young man who cannot seem to disagree with the Costa Mesa City Council without getting arrested. Having been on the cusp of the protests back in the 1960s, I can tell you that this version is amateurish.

My advice? Stop the ego-gratifying, self-centered, noisy protest and work instead on electing some people who agree with your positions. Or run yourself.

And in Newport Beach, if you didn’t like the St. Andrew’s vote, or if you did, or if you don’t like the plans for the new city hall, or do, you’ll have a chance to make a difference.

If I had a wish on this subject, it would be that teachers could spend more time on teaching our kids about the huge effect of local elections and that the parents of these kids took the 30 minutes it takes to vote.

If you want to change or maintain your police department, fire department, garbage collection, water department or any of the other local organizations that have the most effect on your life, get out and vote this year.

And if you don’t vote, don’t complain: It’s your fault that things are not running the way they should.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer. Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at (714) 966-4664 or send story ideas to [email protected].

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