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Group calls for greater participation in ward elections

Date: 8/16/2011

Aug. 15, 2011

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

SPRINGFIELD — With only one ward city councilor facing an opponent in this year’s election, a group of the people responsible for bringing ward representation to the city declared their intentions to start a campaign over the next two years to build greater participation in municipal government.

Standing on the steps of City Hall, City Council President and mayoral candidate Jose Tosado, activists Frank Buntin and Michaelann Bewsee, Gumersindo Gomez, the executive director of the Puerto Rican Veterans’ Center, Joseph Fountain, a candidate for City Council this year and Rev. Talbot Swan II, president of the Springfield chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People all spoke about the need to reenergize citizens in Springfield to be part of the electoral process.

Swan said, “The road from moving the city that disenfranchised citizens of color is long and arduous.”

Noting the lack of candidates in the race, Swan added, “What we find today is the residual effects of the apathy of voters from 40-plus years of a system that disenfranchised them.”

Tosado, addressing critics who have said the lack of candidates shows that ward representation is no better than the previous system of an all at-large council, said the new format has been successful.

He noted the ethnic, gender and age diversity of the present council.

“The city is well represented and it’s [ward representation] working well,” Tosado said. He added he supported ward representation for the past 20 years.

He said that building more participation is a two-step process. The first was enacting ward representation, while the second will be getting the public involved.

Bewsee said that there was no effort by any organizations for voter registrations so far this year.

She added she knew of some people who were considering a run for office but changed their plans after the tornado on June 1.

Bewsee said a coalition in the city of grassroots organizations and elected officials is needed to encourage public participation.

Fountain, who filed the first lawsuit in 1996 against the city because of the at-large system, said there is time for a person to get onto the November ballot. He said 100 writer-in or sticker votes on the primary ballot would secure a place on the final ballot in November for a ward city council seat.

“If you were late before, you can get into the game now,” he said.



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