Do voters want change or status quo?

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BY DOUG ROSS
doug.ross@nwitimes.com
219.548.4360 | Wednesday, November 12, 2008 | (16 comment(s))

On Tuesday evening, while you were most likely watching TV, I was on the other side of the screen.

Along with Valparaiso University political science professor Jennifer Hora, I appeared on Lakeshore News Tonight's special election broadcasts as a political analyst on this historic night.

If you were tuned in to Lakeshore Public Television that night, it's a safe bet you were doing so because you wanted to see the results from local races. Good for you!

But not everyone cared about the outcome of those local races.

It was disturbing to discover that about 15,000 voters in Lake County apparently cast ballots only in the presidential race.

I have to give Barack Obama's campaign credit for being so successful in getting out the vote. But couldn't those voters have shown more interest in other races as well?

These local officials affect the lives of everyone in the region in very direct ways. People should care a lot about who's making those decisions and what they're deciding.

Obama was elected as an agent of change. He successfully convinced the voters that voting for John McCain was like voting President Bush in for a third term.

So why weren't those people who were sold on change in the White House more eager for change at the local level?

Specifically, why did Portage Township voters and Lake County voters in five townships keep their township assessor instead of streamlining government?

In North Township and Porter County's Center Township, voters saw the wisdom of eliminating that position, just as the Indiana General Assembly did with smaller townships earlier this year.

MySmartGov.org, which heavily promoted the campaign to eliminate the 43 township assessors, had good results except in Northwest Indiana and a few other urban areas. Lake County is the glaring exception.

And in Porter County, the forces of change got clobbered by anti-South Shore sentiment. The candidates who see transportation improvements as a way to improve the quality of life in the county were sharply rebuked.

There's even talk now about seceding from the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority. That's scary. Haven't they noticed that the first big Marquette Plan project, partially funded by the RDA, was the new park in Portage?

How could the voters be so committed to change at the national level but so reticent at the local level?

How would those 15,000 voters who took a pass on the local races in Lake County have affected the outcome of the township assessor questions in those six townships?

We'll never know.

One of the odd things about elections is that no matter how many times you look at the results, some of the voters' decisions are just plain baffling. Do they want change, or don't they?

Even this guy who comments on election results on TV and writes about them for the newspaper and the Web has to admit being stumped.

Editorial Page Editor Doug Ross can be reached at (219) 548-4360 or (219) 933-3357 or doug.ross@nwitimes.com. The opinion expressed in this column is the writer's and not necessarily that of The Times.

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Leo wrote on Nov 13, 2008 3:30 PM:

" As a Chicago resident who formerly lived in Valparaiso, in never ceases to amaze me how provincial people in NWI are. They don't realize that a rail extension will bring new jobs and prosperity to the area. They are afraid of people who may come to their area as a result of the rail extension, which is clearly a thinly veiled form of racism.

Say what you want about Chicago politics, but there is much more prosperity in Chicago than there is in NWI. As soon as you cross the border into Indiana, the stench of the steel mills hits you, as does the depressing landscape of the land. Until people in NWI broaden their outlook on things, this won't change. "

they just dont get it. wrote on Nov 11, 2008 9:53 PM:

" You know, the people of Porter County actually did vote for change both nationally and locally. It's just that Mr. Ross is not "getting" the change these people voted for. They want their elected officials to LISTEN to them. They want respect. They don't want someone with a "I know what's best for you better than you do" attitude. They want to feel like their elected officials actually do represent their best interests and not only those of special interest groups or individuals. That, my friends, is the CHANGE the voters of Porter County were looking for.

You think I'm wrong? The local R's did not see this coming. They were completely shocked. Why? Because they are so out of touch with what the average guy in Porter County finds important. They haven't been listening at all. "

James wrote on Nov 11, 2008 8:53 PM:

" Look I mean all due respect, but it seems pretty clear you have never been a daily commuter. I have riden that train five days a week, 50 odd weeks a year for seven years, and about the last thing I would call it is a stress free atmosphere. People who ride the train have met life-long friends on it, have had good conversations, sometimes good drinks, and some good times, but I highly doubt you could find more than a handful of daily riders who could truthfully call their daily commute some bastion of less stress. I won't go into the multiple rasons why, but suffice it to say they are apleanty.

And I have yet to get buy with a free ride unless a conductor I know let's me go on a day when I forget my pass.

Sorry, but its all true. "

James still wrong wrote on Nov 11, 2008 8:49 AM:

" James
My references are to the Lowell Line, not the Valpo one. Yes, Valpo is a duplication of the one that runs through Chesterton and I don't see the need-yet. But when/if south Porter Co develops, it will be necessary.

From Schererville/Dyer south, there is no public tranportation to the downtown area. Even if one works in NWI, there's no law that says one can't use such a line for intersuburban commutes.

There are also other externalities that need to be taken into account in the economic analysis - decreased traffic means cleaner air, means less asthma illness - so decreased medical costs need to be factored in. Less windshield time, more relaxed train commutes mean less family stress, thus less domestic violence and divorce. "

Joe Average wrote on Nov 10, 2008 10:30 AM:

" The rail line will bring in millions of federal dollars we would not otherwise get. It will create much needed construction jobs.
Every suburb in America that has commuter rail access benefits from higher proverty values because people want to live near the stations.
The existing SS would probably make a lot more money if they actually collected it. There are lots of people, including myself, who ride it for free because in cutting back the NICTD reduced the number of conductors to collect on the train. I've simply never been asked to pay.
Why they don't have a turnstyle or gate that collects BEFORE you get on is beyond any of us.
Commuter rail always benefits the communities it serves. Really.
Watch the Ken Burns PBS special on the western suburbs of Chicago and see how the towns with rail stations boomed and the ones without busted.
And no, most people don't work here too. Go to the census data and see the mileage that people travel to work. "

Porter County wrote on Nov 10, 2008 9:12 AM:

" The voters have stated their opinion now over two elections strongly, they want to stop the advance of Illinois into Porter County. They do not want a rail extension, expressway, or growth initiatives ... the Democrats are more conservative than the Republicans.

Time to disband the RDA, and let the county use that money for more property tax relief "

its obvious.. wrote on Nov 8, 2008 10:49 PM:

" I like many people exercised my right to vote,but unlike too many others, I voted on the local level.What I found to be more disturbing than anything, was the turn out of "voters" and i use that term lightly,that really could not explain exactly why they were voting for obama.As I stood in the extremely long line at the polls,I did not bother to ask people who they were voting for, as that really is not my buisness, but the things I heard while standing in line was even more disturbing.People simply voting based on color. They really had to idea about obama's stand on anything.These same people were not ashamed to tell others that they never voted a day in their life.If you're voting for any political official and have not done you're homework on that person,followed their career,or atleast know where they stand on issues that you the voter feel important,then you might as well vote blindedfolded,or just stay home. "

Puh-leez wrote on Nov 8, 2008 10:12 AM:

" Doug, leave it to you and the Republican Times to blame Obama for the poor voting numbers on the local level. "

James wrote on Nov 7, 2008 3:28 PM:

" Keep believing the propoganda, but the ongoing obligations of a rail extension are likely to be enough in their own right to offset any additional wear and tear created by the very minimal number of additional daily commuters which will be added by an extension, not to mention the initial capital costs. The vast majority of people in NWI work her, and are not interested in a 1 hr 30 min commute from Valpo to the Loop.

The math doesn't hold up, no matter how much you really really want that train. It's a hard reality. "

kathy wrote on Nov 7, 2008 12:47 PM:

" If someone would have run against the incumbents/judges in the local races, they would have been voted out. Going unopposed assured their success. Maybe we should get more involved and run for these offices. If I thought I was qualified, I might run. If you are or know someone who is qualified, suggest it for next time. "

James faulty economics wrote on Nov 7, 2008 12:35 PM:

" Doubtful, James. It's you and the small minded type that want to look at just the cost of the SS extension and not the $ saved in commuter time and wear and tear on roads which takes $ to repair. "

to You endorsed McCain wrote on Nov 7, 2008 11:23 AM:

" Your wrong "We're tired of the status quo of a corrupt" if that was true then the people would not have voted VanTil back into office. Lake county votes Dem because they do not think for themselfs. They do what the Union and political bosses want. "

James wrote on Nov 7, 2008 9:27 AM:

" Did you ever consider you may just be wrong? All kinds of promising were made about the RDA that were completely blown out of proportion. It has done nothing to "revolutionize" NWI's economy.
And the south shore extension is a huge financial boondoggle that simply doesn't survive a cost benefit analysis.

At some point you may have to come to grips with the fact that those people you think are small-minded opponents of change, may just be much more sensible than you give them credit for. And, yes, it is very possible you are just wrong. A hard bitter pill to swallow. "

You endorsed McCain wrote on Nov 7, 2008 8:08 AM:

" McCain got his tail whupped by Senator Obama.

People across Lake County voted overwhelmingly for Senator Obama.

People across Indiana helped Senator Obama win this state for the first time in 40 years.

The Times Editorial Board needs to come clean with its readership and they need to begin acting like a newspaper.

They need to start investigating and exposing corruption in local politics like what's happening under the Pabey administration.

We're tired of the status quo of a corrupt mayor in East Chicago - it's time for a CHANGE!! "

JuNtAvIrUs wrote on Nov 7, 2008 7:56 AM:

" Fear and racism. Repeat it over and over, 'cause that's the reason people are scared of change.

Public transportation is tantamount to a gold rush for the communities linked to it, but the people out there are so scared of change (see definition above), that they'll miss out.

I'm sure they'll change their minds once they see how all the towns on the Lowell line of the South Shore fare. "

Person That Knows wrote on Nov 7, 2008 6:57 AM:

" Welcome to how the people in IL, Cook County & Chgo. do things. You hear/read about how corrupt these politicians are & how they don't get anything done but when election time roles around the people vote the same crooks in every time. I believe people have more of a say in local politics than at the Federal level. I truly believe the Lake/Porter Counties are turning into Chicago/Cook County. "

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