Jerome Says Voters Want a Counterbalance

Just after Jerome's re-election, he wrote a memorable blog post. It was good enough to save, which is lucky. It has since been erased from the Red County Blog.

Jerome was probably responding to the dizzying astonishment that the voters would select both Jerome AND Maggie to represent their interests. Those are two extremely different types of candidates.

Jerome wrote:

A wise coffee vendor in Cardiff summed it up best for me when she said that she liked our current council, and wanted it to stay the same. She said she feels that way because while we have a common-sense majority basically having the final word, there's the "other approach" represented as well. And although she doesn't want the alternative voice to go away, she doesn't want it to be in the majority either.

and concluded,

I think that line of reasoning may help explain why the voters rejected all of the challengers--even in this year of change--and, instead returned the proven leaders of a reasoned and balanced council which has served our city so well these past six years.

Some of the council majority have been saying the open seat "is not Maggie's seat." OK, and it is not the council's seat. The seat ultimately belongs to the voters. Jerome Stocks believes the voters want that seat to be held by someone who will provide a balance against his position.

That means Jerome won't be supporting Alice or Muir, unless he wants to go against the will of the voters.