My friend Frank Schaeffer (see earlier entries) who was my activist mentor, used to tell me that when people are involved in an issue that they get “meeting fatigue.” He used to tell me, pick one meeting, hype it, and expect people to go to that meeting only.

And in my experience that has been true. A wise man that Mr. Schaeffer.

What I sense in this upcoming election, next Tuesday, November 6, 2007 is a sense of lethargy.

Folks on both sides of the issue on the spring election for the Newburyport School override spent so much energy and passion, that it almost seems as if the “election passion” for the year has been used up. It feels like it is almost a “one election a year” gig.

It feels almost as if election-wise, “all passion is spent.”

And I have heard this from a number of candidates out there who are walking the wards.

My guess is, that if it would be a low voter turnout, we could very well see a more “conservative” Newburyport City Council.

If the voter turnout is high, it could be possible that we might see a more balanced and/or “progressive” Newburyport City Council.

We will just have to see what the turn out and the results could be on election day, Tuesday, November 6, 2007.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport