Mayoral Referendum: Are We There Yet?

All of the quadrennial voters out there, the ones who see the inside of a voting booth only once every four years when the presidency is at stake, they will find their November ballot this year contains a question about Richardson city government, perhaps for the first time in their voting experience.

On the other hand, those voters who faithfully perform their civic duty for city council elections, school board elections, and bond elections may know they'll be asked to decide whether or not to change Richardson's city charter to call for direct election of the mayor. Still, even the voters who tend to follow local politics closely may still be confused about which way to vote.

No matter which group you fall in, this blog article is for you. I've probably blogged about direct election of the mayor more than any other single issue. I was against it before I was for it. Even after I said I was for it, I continued to list all the reasons you should be against it. Even though I said that I grudgingly accept it, I still have a hard time envisioning actually casting a "yes" vote in the voting booth.

So, if you came here looking for someone to tell you how to vote, you won't find that here. After the jump, a collection of all my thoughts on the subject that may or may not help you make up your own mind.

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May 23, 2011: Direct Election of Richardson's Mayor
May 24, 2011: Richardson Selects a Mayor
October 21, 2011: What I Learned from LWV about the City Charter
November 8, 2011: City Charters: Can Richardson Learn from Dallas?
February 2, 2012: Campaign Promise? That Was Then
February 6, 2012: Selection, Election, and my Defection
May 14, 2012: Charter Review: Maybe Not So Dead After All
May 16, 2012: Alan North's Second Act
May 21, 2012: Richardson Citizens for a More Democratic Government
June 4, 2012: Election of the Mayor: Rumors and Hearsay
June 8, 2012: Of Mayors and Constitutions
July 9, 2012: Mayoral Referendum: Now What?
July 10, 2012: Richardson's First Directly Elected Mayor
July 11, 2012: 1959: Charter Change for Dallas
July 12, 2012: Richardson Echoes
July 13, 2012: Chasing Squirrels Again in Richardson
July 31, 2012: A City Election in November This Year
August 1, 2012: Richardson's Next Mayor: Alan North

If you want a second opinion, pro or con, I recommend you attend tonight's forum sponsored by the Greenwood Hills Neighborhood Association.

WHEN: Wednesday, October 17, 2012, 7:00 -8:00 p.m.
WHERE: GREENWOOD HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CAFETERIA
1313 West Shore Drive
Richardson, Texas 75080

ISSUES:
Topic One - Mayoral Selection Richardson City Charter Amendment
Topic Two - Effect on the City if the Amendment passes

SPEAKERS:
In Favor: Mr. Darrell Day, Publisher and Editor of the Richardson Times
In Opposition: Mr. Bill McCalpin, Editor for RumorCheck.org,

Source: GHNA.