They’re coming back again. Of the seven D.C. Mayoral and City Council offices up for grabs this past Tuesday, incumbents reclaimed all of them with overwhelming majorities. Voter turnout, however, was barely 35 percent, according to the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics. The low turnout coupled with the high winning margins sends a mixed message to the candidates who won. The citizens of the District have not made it clear whether they are happy with what their government has done over the last four years and hence re-elected the same leaders in the hopes of continuing the progress?or whether they feel disenchanted with the system and thus didn’t bother to vote at all.
Mayor Anthony Williams’ story provides the best example. Six months ago, he was considered a shoo-in for a second term as Mayor. He had successfully turned the District around financially and ended much of the mismanagement within city government that had necessitated congressional oversight through a Financial Control Board. His first administration’s programs have sought to increase affordable housing options, provide affordable health care, improve streets and neighborhoods, and decrease crime and have arguably improved the quality of life for many of the District’s residents. Having successfully addressed these basic issues, Williams also faced the complexity of balancing a budget distorted by a drop in tourism and increased spending on security following Sept. 11. He emerged from conquering that task relatively unscathed and began to set the sights of his second term on further economic development for the District. He was doing such a good job that most wondered last spring whether anyone would even bother mounting a campaign against him this November.
But then the big scandal struck. Williams’ campaign workers had forged signatures on his campaign petitions which, after being discovered by the Board of Elections and Ethics, left him with too few signatures to appear on the primary ballot and encouraged Willie Wilson to run against him for the Democratic nomination. Worse than the unplanned campaign was the public questioning of his ethics that cost him support. Confidence in Williams wavered and critics became more vocal about his taking credit for the D.C. Council’s achievements. The election numbers seem to support the notion that not everyone is happy with Williams. Ten percent fewer voters selected him this year compared to four years ago during his first campaign. And although he received 12,000 more votes on Tuesday than he did in the primary, 17,000 fewer people cast votes in this year’s general election compared to 1998. Chances are at least some of those people were dissatisfied with all of the mayoral candidates, including Williams, and chose not to vote altogether.
It is these voters whom Williams must court in order to remain popular while in office. They are the ones whose needs are not being addressed and whose opinions are not being heard. And if they are ignored, in four years, they may decide to follow a different plan of action and start voting?for a different candidate.
