The recent column by Herald-Tribune Opinion Editor Roger Brown regarding Sarasota County Tax Collector Mike Moran alluded in part to voter behaviors.
I want to expand on that issue because we’re now in an election year and there are important offices to be filled.
I’ll start by saying that I did not vote for Moran in the November 2024 tax collector election.
I voted for allowing Barbara Ford-Coates, who had served as tax collector for 40 years, to continue in the role.
Now I am not a Democrat.
So why did I vote for one?
Was it because I’d had a Damascene moment and changed my lifelong ideology?
No.
Most of all, I voted for Barbara because she had done a good job as tax collector.
But there was a second reason as well.
I believe that county tax collectors should be seen and not heard.
And I knew that based on his eight years as a Republican Sarasota County commissioner, Mike Moran would make the tax collector office all about himself.
And this brings up a key consideration for all local voters during this election year:
Should you show blind allegiance to the letter after a candidate’s name?
Or should you consider what a candidate has actually done in the office they hold – or what they are likely to do if they win office for the first time?
They care more about Tallahassee
Look no further than our local Republican state lawmakers.
Which one of them has supported legislation like the Live Local Act, which has stripped zoning and planning decisions from local communities and given all of the control to Tallahassee?
Actually, all of them have.
All of them have chosen to support the special interests of development lobbyists in Tallahassee over the best interests of our local communities.
The end result has been a slap in the faces of local citizens who believe we need to slow growth in currently rural areas before our whole region becomes gridlocked.
Our lawmakers’ votes on development will have massive and negative impacts on our natural resources.
But is it OK to forget all that now that it’s election season?
Is it OK to keep voting for these politicians just because every couple of years they drape themselves in American flags and hold Bibles?
Not ‘red’ or ‘blue’ issues
I don’t think so.
I believe that our local Republican state lawmakers have done substantial damage to our area.
And I believe they will continue to do so if they are reelected.
Of course, there will always be genuine, ideological differences between people on numerous issues.
But protecting our environment, our infrastructure and our ability to peacefully enjoy our lives aren’t “red” or “blue” issues.
We all know that doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different outcome is the proverbial definition of insanity.
Yet here we are again in an election year with almost no serious opposition – yet – to the status quo.
While money is a major factor in political campaigns, it shouldn’t be a factor at all in how we vote.
Are we going to continue to accept the environmental vandalism that Tallahassee is committing in our local communities?
Or are we going to say, “No” at the ballot box in 2026?
Take the first, single step
Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, is noted for observing that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Call me naive but I believe that’s true.
And during this election season, I believe local voters should take that first, single step toward better representation.
I believe we should all be guided by a paraphrase of President John F. Kennedy’s famous words: “Ask not what you can do for a candidate. Ask what that candidate has done – or will do – for you.”
If the answer is “not bloody much,” then give your vote to someone else.
It’s time for us to stop voting for a letter, and to start voting in our best interests.
Martin Hyde is a Sarasota businessman. He was a candidate in the 2022 Republican Party primary for Florida’s 16th Congressional District seat.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Republican politicians have sold us out. Let’s act | Opinion
Reporting by Martin Hyde Guest columnist, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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