Today, your hometown vote matters

You’re probably suffering from election fatigue and more political news than you can handle.

Last year’s presidential campaign seemed to last forever. And since the inauguration, political news seems to be flowing from a firehose.

But important municipal elections are happening today in Broward and Palm Beach counties. And though they won’t get blanket coverage on CNN, they are as important to you and your quality of life as anything that happened last November.

Five Broward cities will pick leaders today: Deerfield Beach, Miramar, Weston, Coconut Creek and Lighthouse Point. Also, Hillsboro Beach voters will be asked to vote on charter issues.

In southern Palm Beach County, Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach are holding municipal elections.

The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board interviewed and researched the candidates in these races, and published our endorsements two weeks ago. We’ve included a summary of our recommendations. To re-read them online, please visit www.sunsentinel.com/endorsements.

Sadly, few people are expected to vote today. Turnout in city elections has been known to dip as low as 8 percent of registered voters. Because of costs and low turnout, some cities have moved their elections to November — a change that seems to have worked well. Last November, for example, 57 percent of registered voters in Pompano Beach voted in the mayoral contest, as did 49 percent of those in Hollywood.

Because so few people vote in March elections, it’s been said that voters on one floor of a good-sized condo can swing the outcome. So can police and firefighter unions – who seek leaders sympathetic to pensions and benefits – swing the vote. So your vote matters. Remember, city leaders make decisions that affect your life — from property taxes, to garbage pickup, to more sidewalks and parks, to permits for home remodeling, to your city’s reputation for civility, among other things.

In Deerfield Beach, voters will elect a mayor to replace Jean Robb, who didn’t run for re-election. Two seats on the commission are also up for election. Deerfield has endured lots of acrimony in recent years as it’s tried to reduce expenses, address blight, improve transportation, keep its beach accessible and create a youth sports league that builds civic pride.

In District 3, dominated by Century Village, the key issue is how to better connect I-95 and the Sawgrass Expressway without hurting the neighborhood.

In Miramar, one of Broward’s fastestgrowing cities, three commission seats are up for election. Besides economic development and neighborhood improvement, the big issue is how to lessen noise from a nearby rock quarry.

Coconut Creek voters will decide one commission seat. Voters in Lighthouse Point will select a mayor. And Weston voters will decide whether former District 3 Commissioner Jim Norton, who resigned to run for county commission, should get his job back. Several people have told us that Norton promised not to run again if he lost his commission race to Nan Rich. His change of mind is costing taxpayers $75,000 for today’s election.

In Palm Beach County, Boca Raton voters will select a mayor and council members for Seats A and B. Downtown development and traffic congestion remain the city’s big issues.

In Delray Beach, which has two commission seats on the ballot, sober home regulations and over-development are top of mind.

Boynton Beach also faces challenges with sober homes, along with fire and police pension reform. Its District 2 seat is on the ballot.

Here’s who the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board endorsed in today’s municipal elections:

DEERFIELD BEACH

Mayor: Bill Ganz District 3: Bernie Parness District 4: Todd Drosky

MIRAMAR

Seat 1: Norman Hemming Seat 2: Yvette Colbourne Seat 3: Winston Barnes

COCONUT CREEK

District C: Sandra Welch

WESTON:

District 3: Byron Jaffe

LIGHTHOUSE POINT

Mayor: Glenn Troast

BOCA RATON

Mayor: Susan Haynie Seat A: Scott Singer Seat B: Andy Thomson

DELRAY BEACH

Seat 2: Jim Chard Seat 4: Shirley Johnson

BOYNTON BEACH

District 2: Woodrow Hay

If you care who makes critical decisions for your city — and you should — make your voice heard today.