Today is Election Day for the Trenton City Commission, and poll officials say voting is hot and heavy...not.
"A good city election turnout is 3- to 400," said election supervisor Lowanna Vaughn. "I don't see that happening this time." She said she'd counted 16 voters this morning so far.
Three city positions--mayor, streets commissioner and fire/utility commissioner--are up for reelection this year, but for the mayoral and streets commissioner posts, the incumbents are running unopposed. Only one seat, that of fire/utility commissioner, is contested. With the incumbent, Jerry Henegar, not seeking reelection, three hopefuls have tossed their names into the hat: Former City Clerk Lucretia Houts, firefighter Cody Doyle and real estate broker Careyee Bell.
Politicking has been fierce...not. Ms. Houts has faithfully showed up at city meetings, and Doyle has put up vote-for-me signs. Otherwise, little has happened to remind city residents that this is an election year.
But Ms. Vaughn did report that 161 voters had showed up for early voting and that she had issued 25 absentee ballots. "I didn't get 25 back, though," she said. "Only 20 came back.
Still, 161 early votes, 20 returned absentee ballots and the 16 Election Day voters Ms. Vaughn had seen this so far are already more than the 187 voters who stood up to be counted last March in the special city election for police commissioner. By 10 votes, OK, but who's counting?.
All city elections are now held at the Dade Administrative Building as opposed to City Hall, and polls there will be open until 7 p.m.
