Opinion

by Andrew Sutphen

Dec. 1st will bring about the big (and probably anticlimactic) ending to one
of Savannah’s weirdest and ugliest election seasons in years. Edna Jackson who is only slightly favored to win, is clamoring to pull more of her base to the polls.

Many young voters have been confused and put off by the two main candidates (Eddie DeLoach and Edna Jackson) and many of this demographic were supporters of the independent option in Murray Silver. However, Silver lost the race with a meager 12 percent. The question is now, which terrible candidate will that lost 12 percent vote for? It could be assumed, based on Silver’s main campaign slogan “Change Savannah” that those voters would vote for anyone but the incumbent.

This however, causes some real problems for any liberals who want Edna gone but don’t want a republican (who may or may not be homophobic) taking her place. I think many people are going to be voting for someone who opposes many of their most important values. I find myself and others justify this decision because they feel that just about anything is a better option than overt corruption.

It can be difficult not to feel a bit jaded by the past few months of debates and mud slinging (including the national politics as well) yet it does feel that this city really needs a change, even if that change is only maybe slightly better. Like the old adage goes, “if you don’t vote you can’t complain.” Of course, no one actually follows that rule. And come Dec. 2, odds are that the city of Savannah will again feel slighted, no matter which way the vote goes.

So why do it? Why vote? Because it matters, really. It’s the only way to let this government and this city know if you are terrible and corrupt, we will throw you out of office. We won’t let criminals just slide by because they are in a position of power.

Voting sends a message in a time when people feel like they have no power over the direction of our city. What if (hopefully) Eddie DeLoach gets into office and we are Edna-free? Does corruption and cronyism just go away? We need to let DeLoach and others know that if you go down that same corrupt road, you too will be ousted. The most important reason to vote this year is to very simply put a little bit more power in the hands of the people—if for no other reason than to tell the powers that be (or will be) that we’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore.</span