You Voted, You Magnificent Bastards
posted by
1970s Abraham Lincoln
posted
9/26/2007 7:47:00 PM
When I first came to Fitchburg, it was hard not to notice the pervasive negativity of longtime
residents. That message apparently traveled pretty well, because in the weeks and months after I bought my house, I quickly learned there were two types of people: those who had never heard of Fitchburg, and those who had heard it was terrible.
I found this negativity sort of irritating and unwarranted (in most cases), so, at some point I reflexively adopted what you might call a contrarian optimism. When people would say things like, “Why the hell do you live in Fitchburg?” or “Was your grandfather an Egyptologist who disturbed a mummy’s crypt, condemning your family to live in hell on Earth for eternity?” I’d reply, “Actually, I moved there because of the reasonable home prices - and I think it’s quite nice (thank you very much).”
And it is quite nice, but a certain amount of my optimism was rooted in a “fingers-crossed, hope for the best” ideology. After all, who was really trying to change anything? I’d been to a few city council meetings. I’d met the mayor. It sure as hell wasn’t going to be those guys. Plus, voter turnout was appalling low. Did anyone in this city even care?
Fast forward to Tuesday, September 25th. Apparently they do care. Voters turned out in record numbers yesterday, and even the most jaded observers are acknowledging the political barometer has moved. There is a palpable desire in this community for change, and for the first time in a long while, we actually have a chance at achieving it.
I’m optimistic about the future of this city, and I swear, I’m not even faking it. Thanks for reaffirming my faith in democracy, and thanks even more for voting.
Tags: lisa wong, tom donnelly, ted desalvatore, ronnie james dionne, fitchburg mayoral race
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