Writing Shotgun

THE COST OF DOING (APRIL 8 ELECTION) BUSINESS

Theo DouglasMon. March 31
 

Ever wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, wondering how much this spring’s spate of Long Beach City Council and Long Beach Unified school board elections will cost us?  Maybe you should.

At tomorrow night’s city council meeting, the council will get the bill for the April 8 primary nominating election.

Their cost/your cost? $717,815, according to a memo from the city’s budget oversight committee, which is chaired by Third District Councilman Gary DeLong–and you’re actually getting a price break. The original estimate was $742,804.

Don’t feel all special, though. According to the memo, that $717,815 includes $20,000 for something called a “State mandated top-to-bottom review.”

Uh, what is that, and why do we need it? It’s not like we’re Florida or Michigan or something. Of all the things we’ve screwed up over the years (86ing the Pike/dispatching the Spruce Goose/sending the car dealerships off to Signal Hill) an election isn’t demonstrably one of them.

But there you go; enjoy your “State mandated “top-to-bottom review.” (Wonder how the state liked our bottom?)

And remember: if candidates in any of these races don’t win outright, we’ll be having a runoff election June 3. You’ll be paying for that too.

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COMMENTS

  1. 1

    Is the discount because we’re having a spate of elections? I mean, are elections cheaper by the spate than if purchased individually? Your story left that unclear, mister.

    [report]

    Posted By Dave Wielenga on March 31st, 2008 at 7:13 pm

     

  2. 2

    Sorry, Dave, there’s no discount. The city was able to do things slightly cheaper in a few areas–but the election still winds up costing us a fair amount of folding money.
    And that word was supposed to be “spats,” as in “everyone will be wearing spats.” And monocles. And mustache wax, for the fellas!

    [report]

    Posted By Theo Douglas on March 31st, 2008 at 8:01 pm

     

  3. 3

    Of course elections cost. And of course the money is wasted. That’s par for the course of our de-facto oligarchic government that likes to call itself an example of ‘democracy’.

    In regards actual needs of truly democratic and soundly deliberative government, the popularity polls called ‘elections’ - and the long-term offices that they fill - are both indeed elective - NOT needed. The alternative - already used very effectively in ancient Athens - is to simply involve you and me and all willing participating citizens as members (selected at random or by rotation) of decision juries. Each jury puts in the manageably short time needed for just one or a few well-deliberated decisions.

    To be sure, such a directly democratic and effective arrangement would displease our oligarchic long-term rulers - whether elected politicians or appointed people like commissioners - because it does away with any perceived need for their political ‘profession’ and for all their self-indulgent games and perks (and opportunities for profitable corruption, through command of long-term strangleholds on decision-making power).

    Indeed, in fairness to elections, their direct costs are just a fraction of the total extra costs of government by elective oligarchy rather than direct deliberative democracy.

    [report]

    Posted By Joe Weinstein on April 2nd, 2008 at 12:16 pm

     

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