Election Season
Midterm elections are nearing and many citizens are quite frantic about the current state of Omaha. Recently, Mayor Suttle has tacked on a 2.5% tax increase on restaurants and has proposed a 50 dollar wheel tax for those working in Omaha while residing outside of the Omaha area. Many citizens of Omaha are frustrated with these tax increases and other issues such as broken promises and union deals that come at the expense of the taxpayers. As a result, a recall campaign has been launched to remove Mayor Suttle from office. The cost of this recall could be up to $900,000 and would come at the expense of city services.
The recall on Mayor Suttle is a form of direct democracy and is indeed legal. However, the recall is quite costly and maybe could have been avoidable altogether. Omaha has a population of almost 440,000 people. Of this population, 241,703 residents were registered to vote during Mayor Suttle’s election and only 76,468 citizens actually voted. This is a low turnout rate of 31.6% of registered voters. If more people would have voted, Mayor Suttle may not have become mayor and, therefore, would not have implemented these tax increases.
In light of this election season, I would like to bring to attention an article that was in the New York Times and other newspapers around the country. This article stated that “the poll results suggested that many women might stay home this year, giving more of the decision-making to men by default.” The article goes on to explain that women have been less attentive to politics and are not as enthusiastic about current politics as men have been. As a result, I would like to remind women of all ages of the struggle that Alice Paul and many other women went through in order for women to have a voice in the government. Thus, I would like to encourage all women to vote during the 2010 midterm elections.
It is time for citizens of Omaha, including women, to take advantage of our democratic form of government. I would like to emphasize that it is the responsibility of citizens to vote. Moreover, citizens must be educated about current political issues and the candidates that are running in the elections. The recall on Mayor Suttle is a prime example of how important it is to be educated about the candidates and political issues of the community. Please keep in mind that the 2010 midterm elections are nearing and on Tuesday, November 2nd, it will be time for the citizens of Omaha to elect candidates who will be the voice for us in our government.
