Local Election Recap ~ Tortoise Analysis: Florida stays red, Leon County stays blue, health plan is stayed

While a blue revival occurred across the country on Election Day, it seemed, Florida stayed red for the most part. We elected a Republican governor, gave our attorney general seat on the Cabinet to Bill McCollum – eek! – and we took away from ourselves a basic right when we voted “yes” on Amendment 3. This amendment will make it more difficult for citizen initiatives to gain a place in the Florida Constitution. How ironic is it though that the measure passed with less than the 60 percent threshold that future amendments need for passage?

Leon County voters, however, kept this region one of the few “blue” areas in the state. We gave Democrat Jim Davis 56 percent of our votes for governor, we voted for Skip Campbell by almost a 2-1 margin in the attorney general’s race, and the Bill Nelson-Katherine Harris numbers here proved even more embarrassing for the former Bush family lackey than elsewhere across the state.

On the local election front, one of the more encouraging results was the fact that county residents headed to the polls at a rate of 63 percent for registered voters. That number exceeded any county in Florida, and as always Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho ran a smooth and relatively error-free day of voting.

In the city commission race, Debbie Lightsey repelled criticism about her coal plant stance by beating Anthony Viegbesie with 55 percent of the vote to Dr. V’s 45 percent tabulation. In an odd twist, despite the backlash Lightsey received for her rather dismissive statements toward coal plant opponents, and the fact that Viegbesie came into this race with more experience than when he challenged her three years ago, the commissioner with the most seniority actually garnered a bigger percentage of votes than she did in 2003. Go figure.

What Lightsey’s re-election means for the coal plant issue is unclear. The Taylor County Commission votes Nov. 20 to give preliminary approval for a plant to be built near Perry, but Lightsey and the other city commissioners vow to consider all options before moving forward with decisions about our energy future.

In county commission races, Bob Rackleff fought off criticism directed at him for the sometimes dysfunctional nature of the board, and he swept back into the office with 56 percent of the vote. In the second race, Bryan Desloge apparently used his support among progressives and Democrats to knock out Will Messer, in a battle of Republican business dudes. How the commission will perform with two new members – Desloge and John Dailey, who won his seat in the primary election – remains to be seen, but like any wacky family they’ll have to find a way to get along.

Progressives around town were bummed that John Newton lost his bid to become a county judge, as voters instead gave the seat to Ron Flury, an assistant state attorney. Progressives were astonished and disheartened by the vote in the local referendum that would have increased the county’s sales tax by a half cent to help insure low-income workers and their families.

Opponents of the referendum stressed that the county commission couldn’t be trusted to handle the responsibilities of managing the health care plan. Sixty percent of the voters were against the idea, however. Seems fair to believe that a good number of those voters viewed their bank account as more important than the overall health of our community. All people in the community, that is, not just those who can already afford regular doctor visits and specialized care.

Don’t even get us started on the topic of the haves and have-nots.