The results of our City Council “Make-Up” poll are in. The overwhelming majority of participants support the addition of “at-large” seats to the Fayetteville City Council:

This is not surprising. Right now, each Fayetteville citizen gets to vote for two out of ten decision-makers in City Hall (the Mayor and their particular district’s councilman or woman). To put it a different way, your vote impacts only 20% of your city’s government, and the rest is left to others across town.

Twenty percent doesn’t get you very far, and we’re in a pretty sad state right now. We just had the lowest municipal election turnout in the State of North Carolina, and I doubt we’ll see any kind of sea-change tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow’s election, I won’t be voting. The Mayor and my City Councilman (Johnny Dawkins) are unopposed. There’s been no write-in campaign in my district, unlike District 3. I have no say, besides chirping about it on an internet blog.

I would like some more say, some legitimate say, and it seems from the poll results that many agree with me.

This change would absolutely make a difference. It’s time to put some “at-large” seats on the council. It’s time to get the entire City of Fayetteville involved in choosing its leadership.

The status quo is stagnant.