Local Elections and the Politics of Small-Scale Democracy by Callen Zachary Oliver J. Eric Ha Shang E

Author:Callen, Zachary, Oliver, J. Eric, Ha, Shang E.
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781400842544
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 4

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Systematic versus Idiosyncratic Factors in Local Elections

If anyone thinks local government is without drama, they should just talk to Richard Cohen, mayor of Agawam, Massachusetts. For years, he had served as mayor of this rural community of about 30,000 residents that is most famous for being the home of the Six Flags of New England amusement park. Given that he had been reelected three times by large margins, it would appear most of his constituents were happy with the job he had been doing. Then came the issue of the parking lot. For years, a number of businesses that were near the amusement park had offered parking spaces for visitors at rates far below the $30 that Six Flags charged its customers. Concerned with this lost revenue opportunity, Mark Shapiro, president and CEO of Six Flags, personally lobbied Cohen and the town council to change the town code so that it would be illegal for nearby businesses to charge for parking to Six Flags customers. Citing “safety concerns,” the mayor and town agreed, and soon the town began issuing fines to local businesses who opened their lots for Six Flags customers.

As one might expect, the new law generated a huge outcry among the local business owners who were affected by the ban. Not only did they argue that the parking revenue compensated for business that was lost during the summer months because of the congestion generated by Six Flags, they noted that in the twenty years they had been offering parking, not a single safety incident had occurred. Arguing that the law was simply an example of a large corporation trying to squeeze out local business, they made an effective case to the town council who reversed itself and lifted the local parking ban. This, however, was not enough to satisfy Michael Palazzi, an owner of a nearby storage facility who had been a target of the ban. He was so incensed by the town’s decision, and particularly by mayor Richard Cohen’s steadfast support of the ban, that he decided to help recruit and support Susan Dawson, a local substitute school teacher to run against him. Playing on the popular resentment generated by the parking lot decision, Dawson unseated Cohen by a mere 38 votes in the 2007 election.

The story and political career of Richard Cohen may have ended there, except for a series of curious events that occurred over the next two years. Susan Dawson, it turns out, was not very successful at managing town affairs, and her reelection bid was seriously damaged when she was attacked by the estranged wife of a man she was dating. The melodrama of the affair drew media attention across the state and Dawson quickly became the subject of local ridicule and dismay. It also provided Cohen with a second chance. Running for reelection in 2009, he not only was able to benefit from Dawson’s personal and professional problems, but was also able to defeat Derek Benton, his major competitor

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