Slick, Yes. But Worth It? Your Call.

Okay, let's say you are running for Anna Maria City Commission in a special election. The election is contentious to say the least. Maybe the most contentious in memory. You never say anything bad about anybody, you claim, but you are clearly identified with one camp; heck you've worked for them, your wife works with them. You spend time shooting the breeze under their purple sign on their authentically faux '"Old Florida" front porch in their requisite faux front porch chairs, while waiting for someone, anyone, to actually show up looking for that certain Appenino Porcini Oil (real, not faux, at last!) to drizzle over a hard-to-find Taleggio cheese ("Wait guys, look, here comes someone, act natural, act like you live here, act...well...act like Old Floridians...come on, really, don't scare this one away too...").

You have staked out your political position and political buddies publicly. Heck, you're in their tent! There is little doubt you favor the interests of those who preach the gospel of scorched earth demolition followed by cookie-cutter second-floor resorty condos and who, with the slickness of a multi-level hypnotist, tell us it's just "too wonderful to pass up" the desolate bottom-floor retail space that is their necessary write-off for developing their wedding party rental units in the R-O-R. Okay, fair enough. The voters who want a Universal Studios version of an MGM theme-parked Disney-On-Pine mainstreet, they know to vote for you. Those that love the city the way they found it, they will not. You can live with that. You have made your bed.

But the polarized voters aren't your problem. You know where you stand with them. It's the fence-sitters, the I'm-not-sures, the what-has-he-done-for-me-lately's, the did-his-wife-really-invite-that-other-guy-into-a-tent-in-those-emails folks. Yep, they will decide the election. You say to yourself "Self, it looks to be a very close vote, could go either way depending on the weather and the traffic on Pine. I'm pretty sure the Islander and the Sun will embarrass themselves and their profession for me yet again with pukey gutter journalism but will it reach glassy-eyed Stepford readers before they vote?"

And through it all you have a secret. A secret you can't tell because, well, because it's a secret. It's a tidbit of information, actually a large chunk, that could "make a difference" in a close vote. You debate it. You consider letting voters know so they know, you know? That informed consent thing? That "I'm a different kind of politician" thing? Full disclosure? Honesty in government? Getting the city back on the right track, right? For The People!

Then, of course, you think of all your buddies depending on you, your front porch cabinet and you decide, "What? You kidding me? Full disclosure? Before an election this close, this crucial? Uh, I don't think so."

So you keep it to yourself and the election happens.

Then less than 48 hours later you put your house up for sale. No, really, you do. Look HERE. See?

Slick. Very very slick. But was it worth it?

That's your call.


Stay informed.

Bill Yanger