The Bright Side
The Silent, Silent Majority.
There is an old proverb that says you can’t choose your family, you get what fate hands you. A similar comment could be said of the nation and government under which one is born, except for those who are lucky enough to be born in a democracy or a representative republic. In that case, the citizenry has a say in selecting those who will run their government. However, those who don’t vote, relinquish their right and silence themselves to the whims of others. How many in Lake Geneva have silenced themselves by not voting in the last election? The following statistics should shock you.
The population of the City of Lake is about 7,760 of which the city’s comprehensive plan says that 23 % (1,785) are under 18. That leaves about 5,975 residents of voting age. In the last primary election, 878 voted. That leaves 5,097 or 85% of the residents of the City of Lake Geneva of voting age who did not vote in the last election. “Not to vote is to vote” because it enables a small minority to take over and run the city. Dietrich Bonhoeffer warned the residents of Germany, who had remained silent during its takeover before WWII, that; “not to speak is to speak”.
In the City of Lake Geneva, it is the failure of that silent majority to vote that has enabled a small group who benefit from expansion and development to run the City of Lake Geneva. The city council is supposed to represent all the residents, not just the business, banking, realtor and the development segments of the city. Elected candidates should represent the majority view of the residents, but in reality, they only represent a majority view of those who vote. With an estimated 70% not voting in the spring mayoral election, the mayoral candidate who receives as few as 1,000 votes will most likely become the city’s next mayor. There is a time to be silent and a time to speak, and now is the time to speak with your vote in the spring election on April 3rd, to enable those who represent the majority view of the residents of the city to be elected, and not those with the self-interest of a few.
New Business of the Week
Fred Gahl’s new Lake Shore Estate Resale prepares to open in Williams Bay.
