Local Politics in a Landlord Town

I was surprised when Paul Schreiber was elected mayor. Not just because he was the only candidate for the city income tax, but because I didn't even realize he was running until the debates.

From the signs in peoples yards it seemed like it was just Steve Pierce versus Lois Richardson, Pierce being the favorite north of Michigan Ave and Richardson more popular south but with Pierce the clear winner.

At the debates I was put off by Pierce's naivete and disappointed by Richardson's lack of direction, especially since I had admired her during the few city council meetings I've attended. Schreiber made a solid case for the income tax so I ended up voting for it and him. I figured it was a waste on both counts, even if it was the right thing to do. I don't remember seeing any Schreiber signs until a few days just before the election, but lo and behold he won!---even if the income tax lost.

I assumed that if people bother to put a sign in their yard that they would bother to vote for that candidate so I was a bit surprised, if pleased, by the results. Maybe it was silent majority thing, with the "unsigned" yards being secretly pro-tax and thus pro-Schreiber but now I realize it was clearly the landlords.

At the time of the last mayoral election (two years ago now, really?) I was living in a flat above Michigan Ave (not far from Steve Pierce actually), so no yard. Now I reside in a quiet studio in a quiet house on a quiet street. I came home one day to see a sign in the front yard reminding me to re-elect Sherrif Dan Minzey. Walking around town I noticed that all the properties owned by this management company had Minzey signs in their front yards. I was reminded again of the debates when I noticed another, much less prominent landlord wearing a Pierce shirt to match the Pierce sign in his front yard.

I rented a house with some friends during my time at EMU but doubt I'll do it again. I should like to think that if I did I would have the rights to put a sign for whoever I wanted in the front yard.

This election I didn't know what to think. The council seat was open in my ward and even though this guy said he was running, it really only boiled down to this guy and this guy.
This guy even hosted a forum between the two on his blog.

There were an awful lot of signs for the second guy in my neighborhood*, even though the first guy lived on my street. I was for the third guy and hadn't noticed a lot of signs for him, but given the above described Landlord Factor I wasn't sure what to expect.

If I were a more research oriented blogger I would look up exact how many properties in Ypsi are rentals. Or at least on my street. That way I could predict the future!