Editor’s Note
Back in the old days — that’s less than a decade and before there were such things as blogs and interactive conversations with readers — editors used to respond to their newspaper readers with an “editor’s note.” Sometimes it clarified a point made in a letter to the editor. Sometimes it offered a correction. Sometimes it was just a simple explanation. An editor’s note was a handful of sentences; maybe a four or five paragraphs. It was always a personal link between the editor and the reader. Only difference between it and today’s blog is the immediacy and the platform. Welcome to Editor’s Note.

No such thing as apathetic voters

April 10th, 2009 at 11:14am Linda Grist Cunningham

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.

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10 Comments Add your own

  • 1. Pat Cunningham  |  April 10th, 2009 at 3:06 pm

    Well said, LGC. I’ve been arguing for years that voting is best left to those of us who are paying attention, whether we’re liberals, conservatives or moderates.

  • 2. Really??  |  April 10th, 2009 at 4:56 pm

    What?? Oh I see. Only you can make a good decision. We of the great unwashed can’t. And you wonder why newspapers are failing. No one wanted to run for Mayor this year and put up with the bias shown by the RRstar and no one wanted to deal with the mess Morissey created. So there really was no reason to vote. Every candidate (and I mean every one) was subpar. Jeason Correa involved in this race shows the rediculousness of the whole process. Get with it Linda or you will become less and less relavant as time goes on. This is really bad comentary!!! Now tell me that I’m wrong because I don’t agree with the great and mighty OZ (or rrstar)

  • 3. pundit  |  April 10th, 2009 at 9:37 pm

    Some voters even gave President Bush and former Governor Blagojevich a second term. The Mayor is in good company!

  • 4. unmanager  |  April 11th, 2009 at 5:30 am

    While I agree uninformed voters are a detriment to the process,to somehow imply the only logical choice in this “nasty campaign” was Morrissey is offensive. Without a doubt,the media in the city was sorely lacking in unbiased,fact-based coverage. The accusations of orchestrated dirty tricks proved unfounded yet was treated as gospel. How about the Rovian whisper campaign started in the black community that “of,course Block is a racist”? Or the Sweeny OPINION(treated as FACT) that the “union thugs are gonna run City Hall”

    The public would have been served by some simple, objective “fact-check” of some of the mayor’s claims,instead of Mr.Kolkey’s simple recitation of rhetoric.

  • 5. chris73456  |  April 11th, 2009 at 8:45 am

    Have you noticed how apathetic people are about most of the blog topics? Ever wonder if anybody is really reading this stuff?

  • 6. pundit  |  April 11th, 2009 at 9:16 am

    You are chris 73456!

  • 7. chris73456  |  April 11th, 2009 at 9:27 am

    It was not so much the \"dirty tricks\" as it is the candidates reaction to them that swayed me. Also, if you base your voting on whats in the RRS or any other media outlet, you are foolish. They are all biased one way or the other and always will be as long as $ grease the wheels. Pundit–I only read a very very few–how about you? Most of them are a waste of time was my point. Like thw whole ask Geo section, for instance.

  • 8. Paul  |  April 16th, 2009 at 11:47 pm

    “Well said LGC” Gimme a break Pat. At least now we know how you keep your job. I always thought it was because they were related.

  • 9. Linda Grist Cunningham  |  April 17th, 2009 at 11:05 am

    You guys have had a good discussion. Glad to have you aboard.

  • 10. chris73456  |  April 19th, 2009 at 10:57 am

    Yes LGC we had a good discussion and you did not hear or pay attention to a word of it………why am I not surprised….

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