Day: July 27, 2017

Election 2017

Four Announced 2017 Candidates in Milton . . . So Far

Posted on by Milton Coalition

election2017July 27, 2017

Election Day is November 7, 2017.  In Milton, our elected government consists of a  mayor and a City Council, comprised of 6 members–two from each of Milton’s three districts.  The Mayor sits on Council and has a vote.  In Milton, in 2017, we will elect the Mayor and 3 Council members–one from each of Milton’s three districts.  (The other three Council members will be elected in 2019.)  The Mayor and Council Members serve four-year terms.  Voting is at-large, meaning that all Milton citizens vote for all council members, regardless of their district.  So in 2017, all voters will vote for the Mayor and three Council members.

It looks like Milton will have competitive elections in 2017.  This is a positive development.  Competitive elections are good for the health of our democracy in Milton.  Competition requires candidates to define and defend their positions on the issues.  Competitive elections clarify issues for voters and foster healthy debate on those issues.  It is great news that citizens will have choices in 2017.

So far, four candidates have announced their candidacy for office in Milton.  Following are links to candidate websites or newspaper announcements.

Mayor Joe Lockwood has announced he is running for a third and final term.  Following is a link to his announcement in the Milton Herald.

Milton Herald: Lockwood Candidacy Announcement

Laura Rencher has announced she is running for Mayor.  Following is a link to her website:

Mayoral Candidate: Laura Rencher Campaign Website

Laura Bentley has announced she is running for the District 2 seat currently held by Bill Lusk.  Following is a link to Ms. Bentley’s campaign website:

District 2 Candidate: Laura Bentley Campaign Website

Peyton Jamison has announced he is running for the District 1 seat currently held by Karen Thurman.  Following is a link to Mr. Jamison’s website:

District 1 Candidate: Peyton Jamison Campaign Website

No candidates have announced they are running for the District 3 seat currently held by Joe Longoria.

We expect that there will be other announcements of candidacies in the coming month.  Qualifying is the last week of August.  Qualifying is when candidates formally enter the race by submitting their papers and paying a qualifying fee.  This means their names will appear on the ballot.  It isn’t official until then; some announced candidates may ultimately withdraw from the race and choose not to qualify.  It is shaping up to be an interesting election.  Stay tuned . . .

Council Member Bill Lusk, Council Member Thurman, District 1 Redistricting Scandal, Ethics

Bill Lusk: Major Accomplice and Beneficiary in Redistricting

Posted on by Milton Coalition

Vote-Denied

July 27, 2017

Council Member Bill Lusk has pooh-poohed Milton’s redistricting scandal as much ado about nothing.  The Milton Herald wrote about Mr. Lusk that he felt “the request was a minor change and he didn’t think it required a public discussion.”  Furthermore, Mr. Lusk was the only member of Council that complied with Ms. Thurman’s request for a letter to Representative Jones supporting legislation to change the district.  Mr. Lusk made minor modifications to a form letter provided to him by Ms. Thurman.

We strongly disagree that the district change was minor.  As we have discussed (in more detail) in previous posts, Ms. Thurman should have vacated her seat when she moved outside her district.  Changing District 1’s boundaries meant that all of Milton’s voters—every one of them (as voting is at large)—were disenfranchised.  Furthermore, the one third of Milton voters that live in District 1 were denied the opportunity to run for the vacated seat.  So the redistricting was actually a major change that impacted all voters.  Furthermore, with this district change, Mr. Lusk’s actions revealed his propensity for non-transparency, even when changing Milton’s Charter.

Unfortunately, there is an even darker side to this story.  It is a story that Mr. Lusk would prefer that citizens not know.  You see, Mr. Lusk was the one person, other than Ms. Thurman, that most directly benefited from the redistricting.  By moving the district lines, Mr. Lusk eliminated a potential competitor for his seat.  Had the district lines not been changed, Ms. Thurman would have found herself in Mr. Lusk’s district and might have challenged him.  Additionally, Mr. Lusk and Ms. Thurman have been political allies since the founding of the City, so the district change kept their alliance intact.  So you see, Mr. Lusk was Ms. Thurman’s primary accomplice in clandestinely changing the district lines in Milton, so that he could eliminate a potential competitor while also keeping his voting bloc intact.  Mr. Lusk aided and abetted the thwarting of democracy in Milton.  Now you know the rest of the story . . .