Vote NO on single-member districts
Lee County voters casting a ballot in the Nov. 3 General Election will determine whether they will continue to be able to cast a ballot for each member of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners or whether they will limit their vote to only the member who represents their district.
The proposed change to the Lee County Home Rule Charter will let voters decide whether members of the five-member commission should continue to be elected “at-large” — which allows voters to cast a ballot in every race — or whether commissioners will be elected only by those in their district.
If the County Charter Amendment Referendum garners enough “Yes” votes, the change will go into effect in 2028.
We didn’t think much of the conversion to single-member districts when State Rep. Mike Giallombardo, R-Cape Coral, sponsored the legislation to put the referendum on the Lee County ballot.
We didn’t think much of it in June when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed off.
And we don’t now.
The key question is, why would we trade five votes for one, trade accountability to each registered voter to just the 20% or so in any particular district?
We acknowledge the arguments in favor.
Proponents say it will be easier, and cost less, to run for office within a particular district instead of countywide. They also say “single-member” districts will provide for better representation within each district.
But as we have stated before, “easier” and “cheaper” for politicians does not equate to “better” for taxpayers. Especially when those taxpayers will be stripped of the ability to elect a board they believe to be best able to represent — and be accountable to — the county as a whole.
Let us point out that the change more than a decade ago for the School District of Lee County didn’t get us better schools nor did it foster more diverse representation.
What it has fostered is a political atmosphere that has elected school officials actively supporting a candidate challenging an incumbent, so those who touted “easier” and “cheaper,” we guess, have proved the point.
The County Charter Amendment Referendum appears on the Nov. 3 ballot as:
Referendum Providing for the Structure of the County Legislative Branch
Shall Chapter 2025-222, Laws of Florida, which amends the Lee County Home Rule Charter to provide that, beginning with the 2028 general election, the Board of County Commissioners shall be composed of five (5) members elected in single-member districts, become effective?
Yes
No
Our vote is a NO.
It’s simple math: Keep all five members of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners accountable to all of us.
It’s also common sense: Don’t make it easy, don’t make it cheaper, for those who look to work the system for political benefit.
— Eagle editorial