I was in the lobby of the 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Building Monday afternoon chatting with a reporter who was surprised about the so-called polls already calling the city council election.
The reporter is surprised that the polls being conducted do not reflect the grassroots political movement of the various campaigns on the ground.
Surprise, surprise?
Not really.
Because I’m always skeptical of polls that won’t reveal the demographics, except the number of people being polled. In fact, we seldom know what kinds of questions are being asked of residents, which leaves a lot of questions about the motivation of the polling.
The other issue is the fact that some of the people conducting these polls are hardly pounding the political pavement.
Most of their polling is done from their ivory tower offices or suites, which is no service to the average Detroiter if you cannot navigate the rough political paths in this city to interact and ask those voting questions about their political decisions.
The intended consequences of such polling is that it imposes on voters pre-selected choices of candidates that appear as the complete and honest choices of the average Detroiter when, in fact, it serves an opium-like effect- that allows voters to settle with the poll results instead of making their own choices.
In the interest of democracy, it is not democratic to impose on voters or tell them who to vote for. Just like the so-called manufactured polls around the country that were claiming that the majority in the country doesn’t want public option health care. It is a blatant lie meant to hijack real health care reform. The same is being done with some of the polls assessing the race for city council, charter revision commission and mayor.
If we are really interested in a free and fair local government reform in Detroit, it ought to be left with voters to choose their choices.
The business of us in the media and those in the polling trade serving as high priests and scribes over the elections is not necessary and certainly not within our purview.
Yes, the media serves as that space between the people and the government, and in this race we must pursue the course of providing platforms that allow the candidates to speak to the issues.
In doing so, voters are able to select the most competent, intelligent, passionate and compassionate candidates who understand that Detroit cannot do business the same way it did 20 years ago.
Notwithstanding our anticipated media endorsements, the most important endorsements will be the ones that voters make on Election Day.
Because of the political turmoil in the last two years it’s clear to anyone who’s been an avid observer of the political climate here that the city of Detroit is on trial. The city is fighting for its life, just like other major cities, and the temperature is currently unbearable for residents and those who have invested here unless there is a new cooler in the room.
Nov. 3 will show whether this city is ready to make the necessary changes needed to move local government operations forward, while maintaining the interests of the residents and businesses that have a stake in this city.
Some of the polls I’ve observed recently have already placed candidates like John Bennett, Alberta Tinsley-Talabi, Shelley Foy, Fred Elliot Hall and others outside the margin of win. The winning candidates, we are told, are the likes of Gary Brown, Brenda Jones, Charles Pugh, Saunteel Jenkins and Lisa Howze.
While it is plausible and refreshing to note that the array of candidates running come from very impressive backgrounds, what is missing in this political puzzle is the impression that voters have of each of the candidates seeking a seat on Detroit’s biggest civic institution – the Detroit City Council.
Detroit’s electorate is notorious for doing the unpredictable. Because of that, I have been very hesitant to call out names of candidates expected to win on a number of talk shows.
I’ve maintained from the genesis of the campaign that the election is fair game for all 18 candidates, because some of the candidates who made the cut after the primary were not expected in the race for the general election, if media or polling standards are supposed to be barometer.
To be fair to all the candidates who’ve invested their own resources to be in this race, we (the media) ought to allow voters to assess them based on their level of service and commitment to life and death issues, and not on own terms.
We run the risk of interrupting the democratic process, without letting voters decide the election based on the more substantive issues like neighborhood revitalization, business development and the global economy, better city services, etc.
If the neighborhoods in the city don’t come back, families won’t move into Detroit.
If the climate in the city is not friendly to business development – including small businesses – we can forget about Detroit becoming the Mecca of the Midwest.
If city council candidates don’t have an inkling of geo-political systems and globalization and cannot locate China, India or Nigeria on the map, or lack an understanding of the current economic interests of these nations – significant players in the current global economy – then rule out Detroit as an international city.
If residents are not provided better city services, they are more likely to move out in search of better services in other places where their tax dollars can afford it.
These are just some of the issues that Detroit faces. These issues must be tackled by an independent-minded charter commission, an effective city council and a determined mayor. Detroit cannot settle for less.
But that change will only take place by way of an informed electorate willing to think for itself. An informed electorate will lead to a thriving city that knows the difference between candidates throwing dust in their eyes and those truly called to public service.
Watch Bankole Thompson’s weekly show, “Center Stage,” on WADL-TV38 Saturdays at 1 p.m. He is the host of “Climate Change: Is Detroit Open For Business?” — a weekly roundtable discussion about business in Detroit on WDET-101.9 FM, Detroit Public Radio, Wednesdays at noon. E-mail him at bthompson@michronicle.com.