Sunday, Jul. 06, 2008

A perplexing dilemma

Early voting begins tomorrow, and once again, Bibb County voters are put in a perplexing situation. Voters must to decide not only which candidates to support, but what party to support.

Here's the question: Which office is more important for citizens of the Republican persuasion, sheriff or Bibb County Commission chairman? Because of our antequated primary system, voters cannot vote for both.

The sheriff's race is between Democrats Jerry Modena, the incumbant, and challenger Bill Lucas. It's a serious challenge and both candidates are running hard. A Republican won't vie for the position until November, but one of the Democrats will be sitting at home then and the question becomes, which one?

The chairman's race is between Republicans Theron Ussery and incumbant Charlie Bishop. It is the only race on the Republican ballot. I know, David Cusino is in the race, but really.

Democrats will also have to choose between long-time educator Ella Carter and Kenny Rogers for the Bibb County School Board for the seat representing East Macon. Rogers is the semi-incumbant appointed to the seat last year when Terry Tripp resigned to run for county commission.

Democratic voters also have a congressional seat to decide. Robert Nowak is attempting to unseat Rep. Jim Marshall. Thus the quandary: Which ballot do you choose, Republican or Democrat.

Party leaders love this system, but every now and again it turns around and bites them on the butt. Remember when Mable Jones ran in the Republican Primary against sitting Mayor George Israel? Mable won't admit it, but that race was a set up. It forced Republicans to vote in their own primary, and John Henry Pittman was beaten in the Democratic Primary by Elaine Lucas.

So here we are again, and this time the victim may be the Bibb County Commission chairman. Ussery, a former Macon City Councilman, is running a serious race and Bishop has ticked off many of his local Republican supporters. If Republican voters defect to the Democratic Primary to vote for sheriff, Bishop could be in trouble. I surmise public safety trumps policy.

So why do we go through this process? There's no need for partisan races on the local level. Neither party can lay claim to fiscal responsibility on this one. The primaries cost real money, and in some cases, the money is doubled because of runoffs. Last election cycle Miriam Paris and Willette Hill-Chambliss forced a runoff. Cha-ching, Bibb County taxpayers footed the bill.

To be fair, candidates also foot the bill. Instead of holding a general election with everybody on the ballot and the top two entering a runoff if no one receives 50 percent plus one, candidates have to dole out money for two campaigns, minimum - it could be four if possible runoffs are factored in.

Let's be real. What does being a Republican and Democrat have to do with law enforcement, judges or tax commissioner? Does deputies ask party preferences before an arrest? Do judges handle cases differently - and do your taxes go up because the tax commissioner is wearing red or blue? How about the clerk? Does she check jurors for deep partisan roots before seating them in the jurors stand? The simple answer is "no" to all of the above.

That said, each political party has attempted to game the system. It is most egregious in the judicial area. Gov. Sonny Perdue has foisted judicial candidates who shared his ideology in two races for the state Supreme Court. Fortunately he failed. The U.S. Justice Department has attempted partisan litmus tests for some positions, and both Democrats and Republicans attempt to confirm Supreme Court candidates who will rule in their favor.

Why don't we just require any potential justice to follow the Constitution? That's my test. Just follow the law.

Charles E. Richardson's columns appear Sundays. He can be reached at crichardson@macon.com or (478) 744-4342.