VIRGINIA GARDENS had an election September 11th. Seventy five ballots were cast. Voter turnout was 6.32%. The County billed Virginia Gardens (where the hell is Virginia Gardens?) about $12,000 to run the election at one precinct. So the town/city paid $160 for each vote. I didn't know the county got reimbursed for running elections, just found that out today.
This election and the cost of it were both totally ridiculous. Why don't we have all the elections the same time as other elections or vote by mail? What a waste of money and what a pitiful turnout. Richard got 33 votes so he will only serve for two years. I guess if you have a lot of friends and you can get them out on election day in Virginia Gardens you get to be mayor.
I just found the town's website: http://www.virginiagardens-fl.gov/.
4 comments:
It makes sense that mail in ballots would be the way to vote. You would probably get more participation that way as well. I think Utah does all its voting by mail in ballot,with good results.
Problem is...it makes too much sense. It is to the advantage of the one candidate who has the most funds and staff to keep it this way. Little public notice equals low turnout. This helps to ensure the seating of certain "cliques" representatives. The people of Miami Gardens didn't know they were even incorporated until they got their next property tax bills that had been doubled.
Coupled with the fact that the voters rolls in Dade are woefully inaccurate because they are not purged often, mail in ballots might be easily corrupted by persons voting who do not even live in the area anymore.
Also, you might be interested to find out that mail in ballots were required for the incorporation votes of Palmetto Bay, Miami Gardens, Doral, and Cutler Ridge when those issues were voted on at the pols!??!. When the Commission realized the mistake, they just changed the law after the fact. So, these cities are actually illegitimate.
Somebody has to pay for those budget cuts. Not to mention they have to throw away the machines and buy some new ones from the same incompetent company that sold them the first. Go figure.
Pitbull's facts are incorrect.
Miami Gardens taxes did not double, please check the records.The tax increase was approximately $36 per household. The residents of Miami Gardens have experienced a boom of economic growth since incorporation,and enjoy the luxury of a responsible local government.
Also,after numerous public hearings on incorporation,voters of Miami Gardens went to the polls to vote on becoming incorporated.
A minority of residents did not know of the vote because they failed to keep up with what was happening in the years leading up to incorporation.Society will always have some of its residents who are uninformed by their own failure to keep up with current events. We cannot force that minority to become informed.
Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, and Doral voters all went to the polls to vote on the incorporation of their cities.
No Millie, with over 100,000 residents in Miami Gardens a bunch more than a minority didn't know about the incorporation. Why don't you tell this blog group how many showed up at the pols? And when the others found out they were incorporated-when they received their tax bills-more than 10,000 signed petitions for a recall vote to do away with the city. And...their "responsible" new city government refused to allow a vote. (Gee, no one thought to put THAT in the city's charter? How convenient for the new layer of politicians)
The residents did not know about the incorporation because many people DO NOT GET THE HERALD.
Did the Community Newspaper also create a pro incorporation rag for that area as well?
I'm sure Miami Gardens is doing just fine, partly due to the County excusing 3.5 million dollars in debt and allowing them to pay another 3.5 million owed over 10 years(with no interest). And could you please tell us how much money Miami Gardens has reimbursed the County for special police services? All this on the unincorporated taxpayers dime.
It is true that Doral, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Ridge,and Miami Gardens were supposed to have ballots mailed to each registered voter's house and have it mailed back. I'll bet more people would've known about it then, huh?
I guess you can always get your commissioner to "fix" stuff, even after-the-fact, but these cities were created illegally.
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