Have you become a bit disgruntled with politics? Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger because you have plenty of company.
Everywhere you turn, you can see politicians displacing real public concerns with non-existent “issues.” A master politician alleges that “such and such” is a major issue, and alakazam, a campaign is underway. A recent example in Santa Clara was the defeat of a charter change that would make the chief of police an appointed position instead of an elected one.
This was not an earth shaker. Neither would it make a change in policy or procedures for the rank and file. Basically, it transferred the hiring of a police chief to city management like the other 99% of city employees, including the fire chief.
However, under the leadership skills of Mayor Lisa Gillmor, this idea was defeated. Gillmor, quite frankly, is a genius when it comes to elections.
Gillmor and her hired election gunslingers were incredibly effective in redirecting voters’ thinking. Some thought it created confusion and that was part of the plan. Unsure voters tend to vote no. In this case, it was a lot easier than some issues we have experienced because less than 35% of eligible citizens voted.
Members of the police department want to choose their own chief. They campaigned door to door, set up yard signs, paid for billboards with money from an out-of-town PAC, and voila! They get to choose their own chief.
They were totally successful in selling their point of view by deflecting voters thinking that voters would lose a voice they have had for decades. In fact, voters have as much “voice” in electing a police chief as Russians had in “electing” Putin last week. In both cases, there’s only one candidate on the ballot.
This was a brilliant and effective campaign. A campaign that deflected from a conversation about oversight and accountability to one about a “right” that’s more fairytale than fact.
What the police offered was a more effective deflection campaign, focusing on “the loss of a right for residents to vote on an issue.”
If Mayor Gillmor used her political skills to solve the City’s financial issues, Santa Clara would be rolling in cash.
