By Christina Abt
Buffalo, NY – For those of you frustrated with the Erie County budget crisis and who believe that our community needs to change the current climate of business as usual, listen up.
Over the last ten months I have received phone calls, mail, and in-person rants and raves from many of you as part of my job responsibilities running a legislative district office. I've been harangued, harassed, and hung up on. I've been called names and had my character maligned. I've received threats of every imaginable action ranging from, going to the media to death.
However, the one constant throughout all of your calls, cards, letters, e-mails and office visits has been the promise of election change -- pledges to replace incumbents with new and fresh faces.
Now whenever I consulted experienced politicos on your constituent promises of wholesale legislative overthrow, their words of wisdom to me were, "It'll never happen. People always threaten to vote incumbents out of office, but when it comes to Election Day, it never happens."
To which I have continually replied, "But you aren't talking to these people. They're really fed up and I believe this time, they mean what they say. Mark my words, there is going to be a huge turnover of incumbents in this year's election."
Well at this point, all I have to say is that I'm glad that I am not a betting woman, as this fall's primaries completely proved out the veteran political forecasters. While 7 of the 15 Erie County Legislative incumbents chose not to run again, of the remaining 8, all but one were endorsed for re-election by you, the voters. And to add insult to injury, turnout in the primaries was average to light with just over 30% of those eligible to vote, participating.
So it would seem that somewhere between your complaining communications and your pull of the voting machine lever or the ballot mark, there was clearly a disconnect. While you complained long and loud about the need for change, when it came time to do something about it, you as a collective electorate, failed.
Now to be clear, I am in no way making a statement for any candidates running for election or re-election. What I am speaking out about is voting.
Too many times these days we the people don't make the effort to get out and vote; take a stand on the issues that affect our communities and our families through the ballot box. The reasons I hear for this voter decline range from, "too busy to get to the polls," to, "it doesn't make any difference anyway, it's just all about politics."
Well I'm here to tell you that I believe your vote does make a difference and if you want Erie County, Western New York, The Buffalo Niagara Region -- whatever name you want to use -- if you want our community to once again flourish, you need to make the effort to get out and vote for the candidates that you believe will best help turn this community around.
Incumbent or challenger, male or female, makes no difference. What does matter is that over the next week you take the time to find out who is running for office, what they stand for and who deserves your vote.
And then on November 8th, get out and vote.
At least make the last ten months of discontent worth something much more than anger, frustration, and a lot of seemingly empty threats.
"Heart and Soul" with Christina Abt is a monthly feature of WBFO News.