Election Reflections

Now that we have had a few weeks to evaluate the Village election here are some thoughts on the non-partisan system from Mayor Jon Mark, on the voting process from Village Clerk Donna Conkling and an observation from Scarsdale10583.

Here's what Mayor Jon Mark said about the non-partisan system at the Village Board Meeting on March 22:

Statement from Mayor Mark:

Many have commented on the recent Village election process and its outcome. So I will weigh in very briefly. First, I would like to say we are delighted that Trustee Pekarek will be re-joining this Board for a second term. Second, we applaud Seth Ross for volunteering to serve and sincerely hope that he will be willing to submit his name again next year as I believe he would make a fine Trustee. I also want to commend both Trustee Pekarek and Mr. Ross for the dignified manner in which they conducted themselves during the process. The civil tone they took in working through what must have been a difficult situation for each of them was stark contrast to the unprecedented spectacle we are witnessing in the national, partisan presidential race.

Third, as for our non-partisan system, it has its supporters and its detractors, and that is to be expected. However, to those who criticize the non-partisan process my observation is simply if another process is desired pursue it. It is easy to say something is "broken." It is harder and requires the commitment of time to pursue an alternative. While, I have not agreed with all that has been written in the Inquirer about the CNC and the non-partisan process, the conclusion in last Friday's editorial had it right. Those who wish to implement a different process are free to do so. The CNC does not have to be the only game in town. As a matter of tradition borne of a desire to spare Village residents from partisan campaigning for volunteer positions, it happens to work out in most years. However, all that alternative processes require is an investment of time and the desire to pursue them. The barriers to entry are negligible: 150 signatures to get on a ballot, but even being on a ballot not a necessity. As the recent election has just demonstrated a write-in vote can be just as effective. The real issue as I see it is time. Time is precious and we are all busy with family and careers. While there are issues and outcomes over which there is be disagreement, for the most part residents seem to be reasonably content with the operation of the Village by our professional staff as overseen by this Board of volunteers.

So let the conversation continue -- more thoughtful involvement is better than less -- and with that, let us turn to our work.

Voting Process
There was high voter turnout due to the race for Village Trustee, where for the first time in recent memory, the ballot included a blank space for voters to write in their choice of village trustee. This spurred interest in the process and also posed a challenge for the Village Clerk who manages the election process. Some voters waited up to a half hour to vote as the entire election was done manually. We asked Village Clerk Donna Conkling what might be done in the future to avoid long lines to vote in the village election where the village uses ballot boxes rather than voting machines.

Commenting on the election Conkling said, "Electronic scanner machines would not have made a difference. If we had known earlier that one of the CNC candidates would not file paperwork in time, we would have held the election at the library and set up three stations. At the first table voters could have found their election district and then gone to another table to vote. Looking up the voter's district by street, and then finding their names in the book was time consuming. If we only had 150-200 voters it would have been fine. It only got crowded in the evening and the maximum wait was a half hour. Everyone who arrived at Village Hall by 9 was permitted to vote."

Last, we heard many comments about the CNC's decision not to re-nominate first term Trustee Deb Pekarek for a second term. Though she was generally well-liked and appeared to be doing a good job, the nominators selected another candidate. Ultimately, due to the write-in vote opportunity presented by CNC candidate Seth Ross not filing his paperwork, Pekarek was given the opportunity to run in a democratic election. Her victory demonstrates that the community wanted her to serve for another term.

Do you think first-term trustees should be given preference for re-nomination over new applicants? Share your views in the comments section below.