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Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Elect Me Mayor And Americans Might Start Asking, "What Do the People of Tampa Think?"
Thursday August 29, 2002

It is often said that politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. In my brief stint as a candidate for mayor of Tampa, I've had the impression some people think it bears a close resemblance to the first. Friends and others ask, "Don, you have a good life, a fine career, time to exercise as much as you like and a decent enough reputation -- why would you want to be mayor? Politics is nasty business!"

Well, maybe it is and maybe not. It depends, I suppose. The nature of politics depends, for starters, on the candidates and the character, style and agendas of those who get elected. The nastiness of politics can be mitigated if candidates model openness, inclusiveness, and common decencies and otherwise demonstrate sound mental health, emotional intelligence and other attractive qualities. Furthermore, how citizens think of politics depends on the nature of candidate agendas, accessibility and the visions they communicate. Improvements to the image of politics will require that candidates for office put forward appealing platform ideas in a format easily understood and acted upon. This seems particularly critical in Tampa. Here remote officials, special interest groups and a platitudinous pall of gloom have historically turned off a significant proportion of the electorate in public discourse. In the last mayoral race in this city, less than 25 percent of those eligible to vote bothered to do so. This is appalling. What kind of democracy is that? We might as well have a royal family of Tampa and forget about the charade of local determination.

My antidote to the prevailing disinterest in and ill repute of local politics is to do my part to make the race for mayor fun to observe, relevant to discuss and meaningful to decide. The fact that the issues are serious does not mean the candidates have to be boring. I plan to inject a good measure of liveliness and a strong dose of consequence into the race by offering a wide range of exciting, controversial and important topics. I have in mind a wide range of subjects, including many usually avoided by office seekers who fear rocking the PC boat or offending special interests.

With that introduction, let me introduce my "What do the people of Tampa think?" concept! This process is designed to create interest in and boost the image of local politics. It will engage the public and make it a lot easier and attractive for citizens to participate in politics. Hopefully, it will give the entire profession a better image, at least in Tampa.

Does this sound idealistic, unlikely and impractical? Well, my plan has none of these characteristics. My idea for increasing citizen involvement, promoting public education and giving the people of Tampa a better shot at influencing public policy beyond the local level is workable and desirable. Without further ado, here is my scheme for citizen engagement if elected mayor of Tampa.

The plan is to create a mini polling system on the Internet for the express purpose of obtaining input from Tampa residents. The poll will explore all kinds of issues of consequence to all people, not only residents of Tampa. It will not be a scientific poll -- that is not my purpose. My purpose is to create a dynamic educational forum for the expression of ideas pertaining to national and international affairs, moral choices, philosophical perspectives and anything else that seems of interest and likely to engage and concern people. Without belaboring the details, some of which will follow in time (IF I'm elected!), "What do the people of Tampa think?" is a simple polling process containing five steps:

At the start of each week, I will write an essay. At the end of each essay, a clear point of view will be expressed. The essay will appear at the city government website. Examples of the kind of essay I have in mind can be found at SeekWellness.com as DRs or "Don's Reports. I have produced an essay on a daily basis for over two years -- I am well qualified to write one on a weekly basis! I have a lot of opinions -- this mayor will not be at a loss for words with which to fashion a point of view commentary for consideration by the people of the community.
Viewers will be asked to vote their response to the essay. The vote can take one of three forms, namely yes, no and not sure/don't care. Each time a person votes one of these choices, he/she will get an immediate summary of the percentage vote for each choice. This summary score will be automatically adjusted as the voting continues for a stated period of time, probably 48 hours. There will also be a section inviting narrative comments. A summary of comments will also be shown each time a person casts his/her "ballot" on the mayor's commentary or point of view on the selected issue.
At the end of the time set for citizen input (48 hours, for example), the final percentages will be provided at the site, along with all the comments that have been contributed by the participants. Notice will be given that the final version of the mayor's essay will be published at the site on Friday, allowing yours truly (the mayor!) time to ponder and mull citizen advice contributed during the 48 hour citizen input period.
On Friday, my essay on the topic will appear at the site. It will no doubt be somewhat different from the draft version submitted to the people at the start of the week. It will definitely reflect consideration of, and likely contain quotes from, ideas contributed by Tampa residents (who, if they grant permission, will be given due credit by name.)

The essay on the given topic will be transmitted to the Congress, the White House and any other persons or organizations that could and should have an interest in what the people of Tampa think! I'm not saying that President Bush will start his day with this question, but the chances are pretty good that some policy makers will, eventually, take notice of the fact that democracy is alive and well in Tampa. It is not completely unlikely that some big shots, somewhere, will want to know "What Do the People of Tampa Think" about one thing or another. It's also clear that more people of Tampa will, with this kind of responsive local government, have an easier time distinguishing the oldest and next oldest profession.

Be well, and look on the bright side of life.

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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