On to 2006!

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April 13, 2005

On to 2006!

The 2005 Chattanooga election is over -- but don't despair.

The 2006 US Senate race is accelerating as if it had a NO2 tank, and the would-be Governors are lining up as well. The entire Tennessee House of Representatives will be up for grabs, and I hope to have at least some information on candidates for all 99 districts, and as well for the 9 US House seats and those State Senate seats that are up this time around.

But the real excitement, as we can see by yesterday's whopping 30% turnout, is in local elections, and next year just about all of Hamilton County's elected officials will face the voters. County Mayor, Commissioners, all the Clerks you'd ever want, Assessor, Register (no, not Dr. Jesse), School Board seats, Sheriff, and more. Think about it: the primary election for that slate of officials is barely over a year away.

2½ years ago, I thought I would be running for City Council in the just-completed 2005 municipal election. It even turned out to be an open seat (Ron Littlefield will be my Council representative for a few more days), but things do change. My focus and priorities have shifted, but my passion for all things civic has only increased. Enough about me. I want YOU to become more involved. "Involved" can mean many things, but the bottom-line implication here is informed, as I believe that awareness will lead to an increase in action. I would like to see a veritable buffet of candidates in the 2006 election cycle. Let no incumbent go unchallenged, even if we like him or her. Put Hamilton County, Tennessee on the political map as a place where voters have a plethora of choices: Democratic, Republican, Green, Libertarian, Constitution, Independent, and others. Come up with a better platform and start your own party, even.

Finally, force the local dinosaur media to either increase the spread and depth of their citizens'-issues coverage or lose audiences. This blog, whether it stays as is or merges with another, cheerfully accepts the charge of overtaking the lead position in local-to-national civic/political coverage, and invites any and all legacy comers to a Zell-esque duel at the tip of Moccasin Bend at dawn. The future is littered with the carcasses of media anachronisms who deign to take this seriously.

I'll quit for now, because I need to save steam for all of the wheedling, coaxing, compelling, cajoling, groveling and coercing I'll be doing over the next 18 months.

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