Perhaps Springfield voters are of the belief that too much shock isn't good for the system. How else to explain last week's election results, in which they thumbed their nose at "informed" opinion by ousting incumbent Mayor Charlie Ryan for challenger Dom Sarno, while simultaneously, and disappointingly, re-electing every sitting city councilor on the ballot?
Smart money might say the typical Springfield resident would have an easier time naming all nine of Santa's reindeer (yes, counting Rudolph) than all nine city councilors, given the low-profile—or should we say, do-nothing—position so many of them take. You'd keep a low profile, too, if, like many of the incumbents, you'd sat around filing your nails while the city was barreling into a fiscal crisis. But since when is a little financial negligence enough to keep someone out of office?
Voters did, at least, make the fine choice of filling Sarno's vacant seat with newcomer Pat Markey, who promises to bring intelligence and integrity to the board. Too bad they didn't opt to prune more of the incumbent dead wood and replace it with other strong challengers, like activist Karen Powell.
Another piece of good news: the passage, by an impressive 3-to-1 margin, of the ward representation ballot question. Never mind that a majority of voters already approved the system 10 years ago, only to be ignored by city councilors, a number of whom are still in office; this time around, the question was binding. Come 2009, the new system will be in place, giving each neighborhood an accountable city councilor and opening up the Council to candidates who've historically been locked out by their lack of money and political connections. Of course, it will be up to voters to actually elect the good ones.
