The Beacon's Opinion

posted Aug 26, 2010 - 1:57:54pm

We’re thinking of waves rushing up on a beach, then washing back out.

The tide of public attention swells up at election time, then ebbs.

Before our community beach is washed thoroughly of the Aug. 24, 2010, election, we want to note a couple of highlights that won’t make big headlines.

First, big thanks to DeLand Mayor Bob Apgar. To help The Beacon focus attention on the importance of the city races on the ballot Tuesday, Apgar agreed to go very publicly out on a limb and make a sealed-envelope prediction in the DeLand City Commission Seat 3 race.

Apgar has a reputation for his skill at predicting election outcomes, but it’s usually something he does privately. This time, the mayor risked being wrong in print and online, for the whole community to see.

And, he was wrong. Not by too much. Apgar predicted incumbent Willie Bright would win re-election to Seat 3, besting challenger Vonzelle Johnson by 52 percent to 48 percent.

The actual outcome was Johnson with 50.92 percent, and Bright with 49.08. The two men were 66 votes apart. Apgar predicted a 118-vote spread in the other direction.

We appreciate Apgar’s courage and his willingness to go out on a political limb for the community and the community newspaper. The mayor of DeLand’s selflessness — in this instance and others — is something a lot of politicians could learn from.

Speaking of that, we want to salute Willie Bright, and thank him for 19 years of honorable service to the DeLand community. That’s a lot of volunteer hours, late-night budget workshops, and sacrifice.

The grace with which Bright conducted his positive campaign leaves the door open for 26-year-old Vonzelle Johnson, who can learn from this elder statesman.

DeLand, especially its southwest and northwest neighborhoods, responded to Johnson’s promise of new energy and a new perspective. That’s good, but let’s don’t forget how Bright’s efforts over nearly two decades helped bring DeLand to the point that it’s ready for its next brave steps.

And, while we’re talking about young people, here’s a salute to 19-year-old Ryan Rinaldo, the youngest candidate in Volusia County in the Aug. 24 field, who ran for a seat on the DeBary City Council.

Rinaldo was knocked out in the primary, but we think it’s more important that he helped KO the pervasive myth that young people don’t care, and won’t get involved.

We thank Rinaldo for that, and urge him to stay involved. We thank Johnson for being involved. Both of these young men, we hope, will inspire others of their generation to step up to the plate. We need them.

At the same time, we salute the experienced public servants, like Apgar and Bright, who have stayed a long time in office without allowing political power to drive a wedge between them and the people they’re supposed to serve.

We also congratulate Volusia County’s voters overall. Instead of buying the idea that all our answers lie either in old ways or new ones, local voters saw the truth: There is good in both.

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