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Economic Development Agenda Wins in Local Florida Race
In this year's election it was good to be a Democrat at both the federal and state level. Besides Barack Obama's presidential victory, the Democrats expanded their majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate (though they fell short of a filibuster proof 60 seat majority). At the state level, Democrats will now control 29 governor offices (a net gain of one) and both legislative chambers in 27 states (an increase of 4 states).
At the local level, however, the story of last week's election is not so bleak for Republicans. In Martin County Florida, for example, 3 pro-business Republicans swept the county commission race with an economic development agenda. The opposition candidates adopted a slow growth platform.
Policy Clearinghouse Blog readers may remember from past posts about the failed Hometown Democracy Amendment that anti-growth sentiment was very strong in Florida. Here is what Dave Dew, the chairman of the Martin County Democratic Party, had to say:
"Two years ago, four years ago, it was growth. I think today, it was the economy," ... "If you look like a job creator, you're going to get the votes."
Words of wisdom for upcoming local elections. Click HERE to read the full article.
How strong is anit-growth sentiment in your area? Was it ever an issue, has it evaporated with the housing market and economic slump? Leave a comment and share your perspective.