Victory !!! County to SOE – “You’re staying put.”   “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Edmund Burke  

It was reported today that the Supervisor of Elections will not be getting her new  building built after all. St. Lucie County will negotiate an extension of the lease of the SOE’s current offices for another 3 to 5 years. We wrote about this back on May 22^nd, and the story burned through the County like an August wildfire. Gertrude Walker wanted the County to build her a building she could call her very own. She wanted at least 25,000 square feet, at a cost that the county put at $8.5 million.   By comparison the building that QVC owns on Peacock Blvd in St Lucie West is just over 51,000 feet. QVC employs 800 people, the SOE employs 17 full time employees. Of course we must consider storage for the voting machines and equipment that is used 5 times every four years (2 general elections, 2 primary elections, and 1 presidential primary). I think that the county and SOE can find less expensive ways to store the equipment, than to pay way more than top dollar to construct it. More to the point, we won, the citizens won and I want to thank each and every one of you who shared my post, wrote an email, made a phone call, spoke directly to your county commissioner, and showed up. Without you these things get passed in darkness, without good people doing something government budgets balloon, borrowing increases. This isn’t about good and evil but about making sure government on all levels is responsive to its citizens. This proves that the power of the pen, that the power of a few concerned citizens, can make a difference. Once again from the editors of Because This Matters, thank you one and all.