At-large Springfield at-large City Council candidates Timothy Ryan and Kelli Moriarty-Finn said that more must be done to inspire voter turnout.
SPRINGFIELD -- Two candidates for City Council have called for stronger efforts to bring out the vote in Springfield, including a suggestion for public debates, following a preliminary election last Tuesday that generated a voter turnout of just 5.4 percent.
In separate statements, at-large council candidates Tim Ryan and Kelli Moriarty-Finn voiced their disappointment in the very low voter turnout last Tuesday, which was the lowest in recent history for a citywide election.
Ryan issued a request that local media host a series of City Council debates or forums "to prompt greater visibility and participation in the local Springfield elections."
"The community needs to do a better job enlightening and engaging the voters," Ryan said.
Moriarty-Finn said she would like to see every current and potential City Council member come up with a plan "for engaging their constituents on a regular basis, not just during the election cycles."
"Voter apathy is a serious problem in general, but particularly so right here in Springfield," Moriarty-Finn said. "The question is, why aren't they (voting), and what causes this overall lack of interest?"
Ryan said reasons for the very low turnout may have included the lack of a mayor's race, and the lack of ward races in several wards, "but there still was an obvious disconnect" in the very low turnout
"The local media, in all its forms, television, radio, print, and digital have a significant role to play in helping to focus on the relevant issues and hearing answers from the various candidates to pertinent questions," Ryan said.
He urged the media to sponsor up to three debates featuring the City Council, possibly in connection with the city and local colleges.
The city and residents benefit from greater voter engagement and participation, Ryan said.
"I am sure the City Council candidates will reach out and continue their private media and door-to-door campaigns," he said. "However, the city and the voters would benefit from a series of programs sponsored and hosted by the local media focusing on the City Council race, and the vision and background of the various candidates."
Moriarty-Finn said Springfield is a large, diverse community with different needs, "but at the end of the day we all want the same thing: a safe, vibrant Springfield, full of opportunity for all residents."
"It's time voters took a a good hard look at the role they play in helping us get there," she said.
"As a candidate who has spent months campaigning and speaking with citizens across the city, I must admit it's a bit disappointing to know that less than 6 percent of registered voters took part in the preliminary process. Another one hundred thousand did not," Moriarty-Finn said.
There were 5,726 ballots cast last Tuesday, out of 106,182 registered voters, according to the Election Commission. The general election is Nov. 7.
There were at-large races for City Council and School Committee on the preliminary ballot, but just three ward races for council out of eight wards and one district race for School Committee out of four districts.
"I've heard about the challenges with absentee ballots, lack of convenient polling locations, not knowing about the election in general, etc.," Moriarty-Finn said. "It's easy to place blame, but how much do these truly contribute toward a poor turnout? Do residents of Springfield truly realize the high price they pay for not taking part in the voting process?"
The turnout does appear to increase when there are mayoral, state and presidential elections, Moriarty-Finn said.
However, many of the decisions that impact residents directly "are made at the local level, where voter turnout is the lowest," Moriarty-Finn said.
"People need to remember that all politics are local," she said. "Additionally, many of the communities in Springfield needing quality of life improvements the most have an even lower turnout. This is something that needs to change, as their needs are often under-represented when legislative and policy decisions are made."
Moriarty-Finn asked if it is time to hit the "reset button" by performing a comprehenseive review of the election process.
"From public safety, to our public schools, to various quality of life issues, it's clear people want change and improvement," Moriarty-Finn said. "Yet, when voters have the opportunity to elect people who can actually affect that change, few take the opportunity to do so."
In addition, she said elected officials have to do a better job of informing residents about the issues and challenges faced by the city, and focus heavily on voter engagement "so that everyone can become part of this city's revival."