'Tis The Season

No, not an endorsement of Halloween, or Samhaim as we ancient , rural Celts prefer to celebrate. Neither an invitation to start holiday, sorry – Christmas shopping even earlier than usual. This is a casual, perhaps flippant comment on the forthcoming local elections here on the east end of Long Island. I believe that the polling date is November 8th. What drives this scribble? The obvious fact that the eager politicos (candidates for Town Board, Justice this and that, Committee Member for that and this) choose to visually pollute the gorgeous autumn roads and lanes with their red, white and blue advertisements.

As an aside, it seems candidates from both Republican and Democrat sides, as well as those brave independents, are obliged by marketing need to adopt the colors of the flag. Simplistic, but true. Yet it does not include the poster for a “Conservative” candidate that I saw today. Pale orange and small. Moving on…

Please don’t paint me with a negative brush-stroke, for I am a clear supporter of an open, democratic society (except within the Church, I can hear some of your muttering and chortling!) but I have to ask a solid and sensible question: Do these pieces of electoral graffiti make any difference?

I think not, arguing this simple (and perhaps simplistic) reasoned sequence. Those who intend to vote are involved or educated in local issues, and may be even know the candidates. They know what’s what, and vote accordingly. Then there’s those who may vote. They aren’t too up on the local issues, so they will vote the way they’ve always voted – for a party. And as for the (actual majority of) people who know there’s an election but will not vote… You get the picture…

So the roadside mini-billboards, with smiling photographs of Anna Throne-Holst, Brigit Fleming and Brad Bender (now there’s a name to conjure with in the greater Anglo-Saxon world) are a complete waste of time and money, and with all of the rest of the roadside calling cards, complete eyesores.