It's a Three Way Race In the First District

Things just got more interesting in the county commission first district race. David Osborne has been certified as an official Independent Candidate after successfully collecting the needed 5% of registered voters in the first district by petition. David Osborne's candidacy was supported by 1430 signatures of people living in the district.

To my knowledge, David Osborne is the first Independent candidate for Chatham County Commissioner to ever qualify through petition. This is a milestone as the two party system essentially tries to shut out everything but Democrats and Republicans. Not any longer.

Could this be a turning point? Are people just fed up with national partisan wrangling? Perhaps as we have seen here in Chatham County, when the opposite happens and Democrats support Republicans, and Republicans support Democrats - people won't buy THE TEAM approach to government. Is this race the tipping point where 'The Team" concept will not work?

Turning point or tipping point? When elected officials band together to protect themselves, they are effectively trying to suppress all competition in an attempt to avoid having to explain their records. It's a power play designed to protect their positions and continue the policies that benefit the fewest people. Wait and watch the Chatham County 09 and 010 budgets which will be  flat, and 5-4 votes will raise everyone's property taxes.

It is said that politics is a messy process a lot like watching sausage being made but here in this years county commission elections we have the opposite - no harm no foul, everything is ideal because we all "get along" mantra. " 

So there you have it, two extremes of the political spectrum. At the state and national level it's partisan in fighting which gets so bitter that none or precious little of the people's work  gets done (I point you to last year's legislative session), and on the end of the scale at the local level we hear, "we don't ever disagree because everything is purrrfect so re-elect us." 

Somehow, someway, we have managed to find ourselves somewhere in between the Roman Coliseum and Camelot. What's a gladiator or Knight to do? Will the people give thumbs down, or thumbs up? If locally we believe in mythic allegories, perhaps the King Auther story will resonate. Who knows, though a three way race in the First District between a Democrat, Republican and an Independent....... promises to be interesting.