Gerrymander attempt goes horribly wrong

[nichomachus]

Downtown merchants in Columbia, MO gerrymandered a special district that contained no residents. They wanted to ram through a tax initiative, and under the law, if there are no voters in the district, then property owners (i.e. merchants) get to make the decision.

But, wait, what? The district they engineered actually contained one voter -- a 23-year-old college student. She will be the only one who will get to vote on the proposal -- and word is that she's not too keen on it.



http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/local/college-student-would-be-sole-voter-in-cid-sales-tax/article_6702c44b-0243-51f8-861c-1df0b462cd92.html

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. She better hope she doesn't get evicted before the election. nt

[petronius]

6. I wondered how her landlord felt about the CID, but since it's university-owned

(and a public university) she's probably pretty safe from pressure in that direction.

I have no idea if this CID is a good thing or bad, but it's a hilarious story either way...

[nichomachus]

10. I don't know

The university just canceled health-insurance for graduate students -- and gave them 24 hours notice.

[petronius]

17. Ouch. Well in that case, I'm a lot less confident. Glad to see that they

at least deferred the action until next year (under pressure) - pulling the plug on grad student health insurance just before school starts is a seriously seedy move. No administrator who actually thinks about students could have failed to understand the impact that would have...

[GoneFishin]

2. Karma lives.

[corkhead]

3. You need to put ***NOT THE ONION*** in your title

is there a word for sad and funny at the same time??

[CincyDem]

53. Our word for the day: Schadenfreude

pleasure derived from another's misfortune.

[shenmue]

4. Ha ha, Republicans

[snooper2]

7. did you read the article?

[n2doc]

8. I wonder how much money she will be offered for her vote

Or if they will just try to make it impossible to count her vote.

[Flying Squirrel]

28. Make her vote electronically

Switch the vote and call her a liar. (Better make it illegal to use a cellphone camera in the booth first)

[d_legendary1]

50. Stop giving them ideas!

They might actually do that!

[KansDem]

29. If she plays her cards right...

...she could retire young and wealthy!

[Marty McGraw]

59. I hope they try to rig

the voting (machine?). oh.. the audacity.

[DirkGently]

9. Hilarious!

Henderson said she doesn’t want her involvement with the CID to be private. She said Gartner initially approached her in June to explain the goals of the CID and ask her to consider “unregistering her vote” so the property owners could make the decision. The more she researched the situation, Henderson said, things “just didn’t seem to be as good as they were saying to me at first.”

So the idea was to levy a sales tax that nearby residents would have to pay, but manipulate the boundaries so no it contained no residents, which would allow only businesses to decide?

Screw that. Doesn't matter whether the tax is a great idea or a bad one. Scheming to cut the people who would be paying it out of the vote is pure slime.

[Kber]

55. And They were "surprised" she viewed being asked to give up her right to vote negatively??

Where's the "I smell bullshit" icon when you need it?

[pnwmom]

11. I think this thoughtful young person should run for office. Doesn't her district need a representative?

[loyalsister]

12. We're set on good progressive state reps and candidates right now

We also have a great state senate candidate. City council? If she's interested in hard work with very little pay ($6,000\yr) and extremely harsh criticism we can always use good council members.

I do hope that she will be active in local politics, though.

[pnwmom]

15. If she represents her own district on the City council, what voter will criticize her?

It sounds like she'd have a lock on the voters in her district.

[petronius]

18. It's not a council district though -- it doesn't have a seat... (nt)

[loyalsister]

22. It's not a voting district

In MO, there is a process for carving out commercial districts which can be taxed differently from the rest of the city and state. They are like islands that lie within legislative and municipal voting districts.
The business owners benefit because the money for those taxes goes towards commercial improvements. All sales tax hikes are subject to voter approval- assuming there are residents to vote. If there aren't, the business owners decide. The lobbyists and legislators tried to draw this commercial district so that there would be no residents to vote.

ooops. There is one, and her ballot will be different from the other citizens in her voting district. It looks like she is going to stand up and fight the power.

[fasttense]

13. Gerrymandered down to 1 vote. I guess real democracy is just too much for RepubliCONS. n/t

[Betty Karlson]

23. It could be worse:

Before the 1832 reform, there were districts in the UK where absolutely no-one lived. In Old Salem for instance, there were only seven makeshift huts, which were unoccupied until three days before the election, when the land-owner brought in seven carefully selected, bought and paid-for 'voters' who would then send the owner's preferred candidate (who had a registered address in another unoccupied hut on the property) to Westminster.

[elehhhhna]

52. well hey that's more than we used to do in Chicago

[progressoid]

14. Rec!

[rurallib]

16. Wonder if there is still time or places to move some friendly folks in for the Cons?

didn't see a voting time or if there were empty residences in that area. I have no doubt that this is another option that is or has been explored.

Hope she gets to be the only vote and she votes against the sales tax.

[LeftishBrit]

19. Sounds like the Rotten Boroughs before the 1832 Reform Act!

[Capt. Obvious]

20. Swing voter

[Rex]

21. Yet Congress won't talk about term limits or fixing THEIR gerrymandering, ILLEGAL mess!

Too fucked up, but that is America 2015 for ya!

[loyalsister]

24. This happened under a term limited general assembly

They had nothing to lose and only golden parachutes to gain when they finish their terms with a vote like this. It's the ultimate corporate welfare to be able to target small geographic areas for tax hikes that will fund "local" business improvements. What usually happens is developers come in and suck up the money to build big boxes or other chains.

[Rex]

31. That sound so criminal, I am at a loss for words.

[loyalsister]

32. Criminal- but unfortunately not illegal

This is also a state with no limits on campaign contributions AND our own local Koch stepbrother..

Rex Sinquefield is a major financial contributor to political campaigns of both political parties in Missouri politics.[22] According to a 2015 Governing Magazine article, "big majorities" in both houses of the Missouri legislature have received campaign contributions from Sinquefield.[23] He has particularly focused on supporting education reform, tax reform by removing sources of revenue to the state government, and accountability in government.[citation needed] Sinquefield advocates replacing Missouri's income tax with a state sales tax.[23] Sinquefield is the founder of the Show-Me Institute, a pro-free market think tank.[23]

In 2014, he donated $1 million to Republican Bev Randles' 2016 campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Missouri.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Sinquefield

[Rex]

35. Ugh and of course his name would be Rex.

We have GOT to get dirty business out of government or die trying.

[loyalsister]

37. MO is a lost cause at the moment

Veto proof GOP majorities in both chambers and the next governor was a republican until 2007. We are in a mess, and I am not sure how we can fix it. We need a revolution! Hopefully, a start will be getting millennials elected.

[Rex]

39. Sounds like Wisconsin. My heart goes out to all the Dems in those states.

I agree, we need new faces with new ideas getting elected. We already know what the GOP old guard wants - to control us all and make us all wage slaves.

[loyalsister]

41. Right now it's young baby boomers and gen Xers running the show

They are an extremely conservative lot. The majority of under 35 reps and senators who are getting elected in some areas (3 in mine) are a bright spot.

[Renew Deal]

25. lol

I hope she has protection.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

26. Seems like that violates her right to a secret ballot

It will be in the local newspapers.

[loyalsister]

38. That only applies in the voting booth

Voting records are legally available via the county clerk. Parties make us of them when plotting strategies to court voters and donors.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

45. I though the whole purpose of a secret ballot

Is so nobody could potentially take retribution, whether it be an employer, or just a common criminal. What is the purpose if it is only while you mark your ballot?

[loyalsister]

47. It's determined by state

Some don't give that into out, but In MO, the information is available.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

49. Oh, OK. I've never heard about it in WI or I would be looking people up.

[loyalsister]

51. It takes a lot of work!

I have seen what the campaigns get and they have to put in a lot of work organizing it for their use. They use those lists to determine who to spend time courting via phone, door-to-door canvasing, and fundraising. It probably saves them some time and fruitless effort in the end.

[liberal N proud]

27. You have to love it when stuff like this backfires

[loyalsister]

36. Progressives in COMO are loving it!

It's a great "fight the power" moment and I am thrilled to see the knockout come from a 23 yr old student.

[KamaAina]

30. Awesomesauce!

I'm sure loyalsister will approve as well.

So, basically, she's the mayor of downtown CoMo. She can ram through any initiative she wants! loyal and I need to talk to her about creating some disability access downtown.

[Blue Owl]

33. Explosive diharrea in yo face, GOP

[freshwest]

34. Election night results: 'With 100% of the vote in, proposed measure fails.' I hope... n/t

[loyalsister]

40. It looks like that's how it will go

"Henderson said she doesn’t want her involvement with the CID to be private. She said Gartner initially approached her in June to explain the goals of the CID and ask her to consider “unregistering her vote” so the property owners could make the decision. The more she researched the situation, Henderson said, things “just didn’t seem to be as good as they were saying to me at first.”

Gartner “tried to get me to unregister, and that’s pretty manipulative,” Henderson said. “The district plan and the district border is manipulative, too.”

I wouldn't blamer her if she voted against it out of spite.

[freshwest]

54. +1. They want the district run by 'property owners'? Sounds like 'Constitution Party' at work. n/t

[IronLionZion]

42. There's also something delicious about "job creators" asking for tax increases

and good liberals opposing tax increases! Especially on consumption (sales)

Good for this woman for standing strong. If it were me, I'd probably be open to getting bribed with free food and drinks or something.

[loyalsister]

48. "Job creators" love sales taxes

They have been for a "fair tax" in Mo for a very long time.

[IronLionZion]

58. I thought sales taxes discourage consumers from buying stuff?

How would it help the stores?

[loyalsister]

60. At some point people have to buy food

toilet papers, and other essentials. Sales taxes are regressive. Republicans would love to eliminate income taxes and have sales taxes be the main source of revenue.
The property owners will be okay no matter how much the stores bring in, anyway.

[DrewFlorida]

43. I noticed this in the news yesterday, how great is that? I love it!

I love when the "Mad Scientist" scheme goes horribly wrong and blows up in the con-artist's faces!

[loyalsister]

44. Here's a more thorough explanation...

I disagree mightily with the columnist's conclusions, but it's a good presentation of the situation.

The drama is playing out on Business Loop 70, where contiguous business interests have spent time and money concocting a community improvement district like the one encompassing downtown. Moreover, they have engaged former downtown guru Carrie Gartner as their director, the one person in the world with the most experience designing and creating a CID district in Columbia, Missouri.

According to state law, a CID board draws boundaries and property owners in the area decide whether to ask the city to establish the district with power to enact sales taxes. If no residents live within the district boundaries, the vote to establish the sales tax is left to property owners. Property assessments already have been approved by business interests in the district. Both special taxes must be ratified by the city council.

Gartner & Co. drew their district lines very carefully to include all the interested business interests and no nearby residents. But they made a mistake, failing to exclude a lone dwelling located on the Mizzou North campus where University of Missouri student Jen Henderson lives. Henderson is a registered voter and says she is skeptical of the district. If she follows through with a “no” vote, the district idea is dead.

http://www.columbiatribune.com/opinion/the_tribunes_view/loop/article_d2d36e99-3954-5250-b8f4-f4a487be1e3e.html?comments=focus

If she votes this down, I hope some progressive organization gives her an award!

[hifiguy]

46. The cosmos has a sharp sense of irony. nt

[toddwv]

56. She should run for every office available in that district.

[valerief]

57. I hope that voter stays safe. nt

[mucifer]

61. Check out this map of the ward I live in here in Chicago:

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150226/gold-coast/what-heck-is-up-with-2nd-ward-map

The more conservative alderman won and is now in city council.