No such thing as apathetic voters

10 comments April 10th, 2009

There’s no such thing as an apathetic voter. There are, however, apathetic people and I am delighted they don’t vote. The only people I want at the polls are those who care enough about and know enough about a candidate and the issues to get out of bed and go color in the circle.

The fact that 25.6 percent of eligible Rockford voters gave incumbent Mayor Larry Morrissey a landslide 63 percent of the ballots among four candidates is most excellent. The citizens — and I chose that word specifically — made it very clear: Despite the occasional flatfooted misstep, Larry Morrissey is delivering the goods and earned another four years.

The voters who listened and paid attention during the particularly nasty campaign drew a single conclusion: Morrissey was a far better choice than Doug Block, John Harmon or Jesus Correa.  It wasn’t even close. Rockford citizens said: This mayor speaks for us; he’s doing what we want to have done. Back off, those of you who would question that.

It doesn’t matter a whit that three in four potential voters stayed home. It doesn’t matter what they think, feel or opine. It doesn’t matter that some of them can’t stop posting and dialing anonymously about how their “guy” ought to have won. They don’t count because they can’t be counted on to do what citizens do.

What does matter is this: Those who cared, really cared, voted. Their voices — among the winner’s circle as well as the losers’ circles — are the ones who count. The rest of you? Oh, don’t even bother to answer, because I don’t care.