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Regarding Asbury Park / City Council election:
1.) Only a small percentage of people actually were paying attention (i.e.
came to the debates, read up on the challengers, knew the names of all 19 people
running, and knew the platform differences between each). Most people did
NOT pay attention, including the majority of our media.
Aside from my own observance of this throughout the campaign, there are
almost 17,000 people in Asbury Park. Roughly 8,000 are registered
voters. In the May 10th election a little more than 1,900
voted. That means that 23.8% of the registered voters voted. That
means most of the registered voters weren't paying attention. (Not to
mention those hundreds or thousands of others who are 18+ but aren't even
registered).
I sat at the polls for the 4th and 5th districts (City Hall) from 6:00am
until polls closed that evening, and heard the following statements out
loud (not whispered or said hush hush): "Oh, I just pull the levers eenie,
meenie, minee, moe" "Pick 5, 6, 7, 8 and 13 (parents to their older
children AND people to others in their families)" "I don't know who any of
these people are!" "Can I go into the poll with him to help him out?"
"Who on this list is good?"
My in-laws were at District 2 and witnessed the polling attendents TELL
people WHO TO VOTE FOR. On at least 3 of those occasions, the attendent
went into the booth with the person and said different variations of: "this
one".
2.) The newspapers, who also don't pay attention like they should
(mirroring our broader national media problem), endorsed the incumbents.
Of all those people affiliated with the media making an endorsement (the
Carrolls of the Coaster, Editorial Board of the Press, my friend Dan Rupert
Murdoch Jacobson, and columnists Tommy Deseno, Dane Hall and Scott
Schecter) - only Tommy DeSeno regularly attends City Council
meetings.
I love Tri-City's Scott Schecter dearly, but he gave a fabulous endorsement
of the incumbents just because AP Action did. Dane Hall, who I believe was
one of the founding members of AP Action, endorsed both AP Action and their
choices, without disclosing his involvement to the public.
But what concerns me far more, is that Ellen Carroll, who admits she has
never read the redevelopment deal and doesn't come to City Council meetings,
gave the Coaster's endorsement to the incumbents as well. The Coaster and
the Press were like dominoes in a chain of lazy journalists.
Long story short: People who don't pay attention (for lack of time or
interest) rely on newspapers they trust to give them guidance on who to
vote for. Yes, I would say a large amount of people got duped.
By the media they trust.
Leslie Kretzu
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