I am happy that I was re-elected in August by the Stuart voters.  The election for City Commission is non-partisan. To file to run, all you have to do is fill out forms and submit the approximately $180 fee to the City Clerk. Voters who are registered Democrats or Independents do not have to worry that party affiliation or lack thereof will prevent their casting a vote for City Commission. It is too bad that these same voters may not be able to vote in Martin County Commission races.

Currently sitting on the Stuart City Commission there is one Democrat and four Republicans. I have yet to see one of us making a decision based on belonging to a particular political party. A City Commissioner of whatever political persuasion needs to keep the roads paved, the police answering calls and the garbage collected.  My fellow commissioners and I just want to do what is best for our residents and taxpayers. What political party you may belong to is immaterial.

The Martin County Commission does the same thing that the City Commission does, only with a much larger budget. There is no Democratic or Republican way of filling a pothole. Our parks are maintained the same regardless of a commissioner’s political affiliation. It is ridiculous, then, to run elections for County Commissioners as if party affiliation matters.

Martin County currently has 55,091 registered Republicans, 27,554 registered Democrats and 26,711 registered “Other.” In the vast majority of local races, a Democrat never even files to run. Therefore, the Republican primary decides who will be elected. That is because under Florida law, if there is no challenger from the other party then every voter regardless of party affiliation can vote in the primary. However, if a “write in” candidate decides to run, then the primary is closed and only Republicans may vote. A “write in” candidate does nothing more than file. His/her name won’t appear on the ballot, and there is no intent for that candidate to campaign or engage the voters in any way.

This ridiculousness has resulted in an 18-year-old high school student who filed as a “write in” preventing anyone but registered Republicans from voting for the District 1 seat. Whether you thought Smith or Thurlow-Lippisch was the better choice, if you are an Independent or Democrat you were not part of the decision during the primary election. Your choice on the November general election is between Commissioner Smith and a high school student.

I am a proud Republican. I participate and sponsor party events. I believe there is a philosophical difference between the parties. When it comes to our state and federal representatives, there should be a partisan influence on whom is chosen and why. When you are deciding policies and passing laws that have a definite philosophical bent, then reasonable partisanship is warranted.

There is no Republican way to fight a fire or answer an emergency call. There is no Democratic way to maintain a road. Some of my Republican friends will not agree with me. Some believe that everything in government should be seen through a partisan prism. I am not one of those people. I don’t do more for a Republican constituent than I do for a Democratic one. Every resident expects the same level of service and should receive the same. That is local government.

We need to stop disenfranchising half of Martin’s voters. They should not have to switch party affiliation in order to cast a ballot. A candidate to run for office should not have to pretend that he or she is a Republican to have a chance of being elected. We need to urge the legislature to make county commission races non-partisan or at the very least stop allowing “write in” candidates to close the primary.

This is one more example of the hypocrisy in our elective process. We need to make sure that voters don’t feel the system is rigged. Making local races non-partisan would help accomplish this. Anytime you can disenfranchise half the county’s voters, you are continuing to have our citizens think the system is rigged. For Martin County voters, this just may be true.