Local elections are a good opportunity to assess what is important to the 10-12 percent of people who show up to vote in most local elections. The majority of registered voters defer decision making to the voting few. For better or worse, the voting minority speaks for the broader community and, once again, put their electoral muscle behind improving water quality and protecting critical natural lands for future generations to enjoy.
The cases of Brewster and Mashpee both illustrate overwhelming voter support of environmental initiatives. The voters in these towns have left a trail of breadcrumbs to be followed on the road to future successes.
Led by the bold action of the Brewster Conservation Trust’s to file of a citizen’s petition, Brewster voters made a definitive statement that certain lands simply deserve protection. By seizing the initiative, BCT gave voters the opportunity to make a declaration about protecting sensitive lands that they might not otherwise have been given.
One lesson here is that conservation-minded people will be rewarded by the voters for taking the initiative. A second, and this is the important part, is that conservation-minded voters have real political muscle—if they choose to use it. Muscle must be exercised to become stronger; if it is, the dynamics of local politics around conservation will change for the better.
In Mashpee, voters were presented with five ballot questions that asked people to approve tax increases. Two of the ballot questions were property tax overrides to fund general government operations. The other three were temporary debt exclusions to fund discreet capital projects: air conditioning for a school, air conditioning for the senior center, and the design of a wastewater treatment facility and sewering in the Waquoit Bay watershed. All passed.
One can stop at the headline that all the ballot initiatives passed, but there is a far more significant story imbedded in the actual results. While the voters generally approved of the spending, there was a broad disparity in the results for each question. Almost 70 percent of voters approved of the water quality project. No other question approached that 70 percent approval mark and one received only 52 percent of the vote, enough to pass but not by much. The point here is that voters clearly expressed what they valued most. The most broadly supported project was the one that improved and restored water quality.
Elected officials and town staff need to pay attention to and respect where their voters stand by continuing to prioritize progress on water quality and land conservation. The results of this local election season are not complete yet, but the message around the environment goes beyond these two case studies. The environmental vote has earned a seat at the table and takes a back seat to no other public policy issue on the municipal stage. Notice has been sent.
