Since the Middletown mayoral debate is taking place ay Wesleyan on October 6, and both candidates have made speeches to the Wesleyan community, it is worth considering what role Wesleyan students should play in Middletown elections. The WSA is excited that Wesleyan will be hosting the debate. According to its President, Mike Pernick ’10, the WSA “wanted to allow the Wesleyan community to engage in the local race.”
While it is important for Wesleyan students to participate in the political process, it is equally important that our votes be carefully considered. For this reason, Wesleyan students committed to voting in the Mayoral election should take a close look at both candidates before voting, and should refrain from simply supporting the candidate who is affiliated with their particular party, because the party affiliation of a local politician says different things about his or her policies than it does for a national candidate.
Republicans and Democrats approach national issues, such as health care and foreign policy, very differently because of their differing ideological perspectives. But the ways in which Republican incumbent Sebastian Giuliano and Democratic candidate Dan Drew would address issues like improving the Middletown sewage system and encouraging the growth of local businesses, has less to do with their place on a left-right spectrum and more to do with their commitment to the community and their political experience.
Mike Pernick ’10 also said that “Wesleyan could easily change the outcome of the election. The last mayoral election was determined by two-hundred votes.” But the fact that the Wesleyan student body can “easily change the outcome of the election” is not a justification for voting. It is important to recall that Wesleyan students usually only stay in Middletown for four years while Middletown residents remain within the community for much longer. The policies of the mayoral candidates will affect Middletown residents much more than they will affect us. While we believe it is critically important for Wesleyan students to serve and participate in the Middletown community, students should consider whether they have enough of a stake to make choices about its future.
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