Salisbury should be very disappointed and disgusted with voter turnout: not with the voters but with nonvoters. Only about 22% of eligible city residents voted, even with all the early voting opportunities. All will pat themselves on the back because we did better than the 16% two years ago. But that’s not good enough.

The estimated 22% of eligible voters, one out of five, have elected a council that will make decisions on taxes, decide where that money will be spent, and other matters that will affect all of our lives. Twenty-two percent. Let’s take the question about electing the mayor. Less than 13% of eligible city voters made the decision to change the system. 

It’s when we don’t care over a period of time that we lose it. It’s little things in grassroots communities like Salisbury that lead to the “swamp” in our nation’s capital.

We have at least two major elections coming up in 2020. Let’s see if we can do better.

— Jack Connery

Salisbury