As I write this, perhaps the strangest election of our lifetime is over, and we still do not know who our next president will be, and probably won’t for the foreseeable future.

What we do know is that in Volusia County record numbers of informed voters stood firm and let our entrenched power structure know that there is some shit we won’t eat.

And it feels damn good to win one for a change, eh? 

Our County Chair race was a clear referendum on pay-to-play politics – an oligarchical system that for far too long has allowed a small coterie of well-heeled insiders to control our lives and livelihoods through the infusion of massive amounts of cash into the campaign coffers of hand-select candidates for public office. 

In essence, We, The Little People, have been told who (and what) we would be voting for as both the candidates – and the message – were wholly controlled by those seeking to retain their suckling order at the public teat. 

Finally, the blatancy of the manipulation became a sick joke, and many residents became apathetic – almost accepting – of a system that abhorred citizen input and destroyed anyone who attempted to expose the sham.    

In time, the spirit of democracy was slowly replaced by a support system for uber-wealthy insiders with a profit motive.

The depth of the problem became evident when District 4 Councilwoman Heather Post was elected following a hard-fought campaign in 2016. 

Almost immediately, our doddering fool of a lame duck County Chair, Ed Kelley, began the process of beating any independent thought or action out of her – and with the help of Councilwoman Deb Denys and others – we watched as the status quo fought desperately against all attempts to change the self-serving nature of county government. 

But on Tuesday, the overwhelming majority of Volusia County voters sent a resounding demand for fundamental change – and our outstanding candidate, Jeff “Plan B” Brower, a gentleman farmer from DeLeon Springs, stomped across this salty piece of land like a champion – bringing a message of hope and inspiration for a better, more prosperous, future for everyone. 

In doing so, he exposed a skewed system where his politically malleable opponent, Dishonest Deb Denys, amassed hundreds-of-thousands of dollars in corporate campaign contributions – and thousands more in a shadowy Political Action Committee – as our powerful overseers made the worst investment of their lives.

In turn, Councilwoman Heather Post earned a well-deserved return to the dais of power as she trounced Old Ed’s handpicked handmaiden Barbara Bonarrigo – a nice lady who seemed totally out of her element from day-one – clueless about the challenges facing Volusia County families – more inclined to lunch with her party’s upper crust, rub-elbows with wealthy benefactors, and have her picture taken with B-List politicians than get her hands dirty.

At the end of the day, the excruciating heat and withering desperation of the campaign exposed many arrogant perennial politicians for exactly who, and what, they are.

Look, I admit it – I am not very magnanimous in victory.

It’s just one of my many character flaws. . .

However, in my view, Deb Denys was a political monster – a sleazy shill for power-hungry special interests – who represented everything I abhor, capable of turning her back on her constituents (and her party) when it served her egotistic needs or those of her political puppeteers.

I have no sympathy for her.  

Now that she has the stench of defeat about her – I suspect this will mark the end of Ms. Denys ambitious political aspirations – and she has no one to blame but herself – and that addle-brained asshole, Chairman Ed Kelley. . .

Good riddance to both of them. . .

Now, it is up to Chairman-elect Brower, Councilwoman Post, and the other candidates who were elevated to public office this week to hold firm to their high campaign promises, ignore the trappings of office (and the new fawning friends they are about to make) and remember that character counts – and that returning a transparent and accessible government of the people, by the people, and for the people to Volusia County is their sole mandate.     

There is a lot about this election left to unpack and I will get to all of it in coming days and weeks.  

I don’t know about you, but I plan to take a few days off to reflect on all we have gained – and what we have lost – in the aftermath of this strange and brutal election season.

So, absent something extraordinary, I won’t be publishing Angels & Assholes this week.

If you voted this year – the sacred civic obligation of all free citizens – consider yourself a true Angel. 

Thank you to all candidates and voters for participating in the greatest form of governance on the face of the earth – and congratulations to everyone on this hard-won victory!

“The genetically vicious nature of presidential campaigns in America is too obvious to argue with, but some people call it fun, and I am one of them. Election day – especially when it’s a presidential election – is always a wild and terrifying time for politics junkies, and I am one of those, too. We look forward to major election days like sex addicts look forward to orgies. We are slaves to them.”

–Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Hello. My name is Mark, and I am a political junkie.

And whenever I look for a clear perspective on politics, I immediately return to the works of Dr. Thompson. 

Say what you will about his personal habits – the man had amazing insight into what passes for modern political contests – and the death of the American Dream.  

I write this alternative opinion blog to purge my civic and political frustrations – which reach a crescendo at election time – and the fact so many of you find them beneficial in helping form an independent opinion on the issues and candidates is both unexpected and incredibly humbling. 

That said, I have no idea how things will shake out tonight. 

No one does. 

The Daytona Beach News-Journal used their editorial space today to calm our fears (and take a final swipe at the Trump campaign) asking that we “get used to” the fact we may, or may not, see the results of the presidential election tonight.

I believe that’s because many states have compromised the system to permit votes to be counted until they get the results they want.

Its why I focus solely on local politics. 

That is where our true fate lies – those we elect to city commissions and the county council – our neighbors who we elevate to high office and entrust in them the power to permit or control growth, spend our hard-earned tax dollars on the infrastructure and essential services that effect our everyday lives, educate our children, police our streets and set the public policies that govern our lives and livelihoods. 

In Volusia County, our system of governance has dissolved into something ugly and different – a Turkish bazaar – where a few uber-wealthy power brokers control everything but the ebb and flow of the Atlantic tide through massive campaign contributions to hand-select candidates. 

The return on investment is direct access to the nexus of public funds and incentives that ensure the profit motive of private projects – while We, The Little People, are totally ignored, and treated like an annoyance whenever we attempt to participate in our local government.

Unfortunately, Volusia County has been historically plagued by civic apathy.

A feeling among those who struggle mightily to earn a living in this artificial economy, where bought-and-paid-for elected officials tilt the playing field, picking winners and losers in the marketplace with tax supported incentives and giveaways, that they no longer have a chip in the game. 

Because they don’t.

It’s worse in places like Palm Coast today, where voters face the frightening dilemma of choosing between an incumbent Mayor many believe used her elective position for personal advantage – or a former Sovereign Citizen with a wacky past who has never voted in an election before. . .

My God.

Fortunately, in the Volusia County Chair race, we have a clear choice between the tired status quo – a legalized quid pro quo pay-to-pay system – that always favors the wants and whims of political insiders – while shitting on the dreams of families, many of whom have lived at or below the poverty line for far too long.  

That’s why I have so enthusiastically supported the grassroots candidacy of Jeff “Plan B” Brower, someone I believe possesses the vision, integrity and focus to return a citizen-centric government to Volusia County, protect our threatened natural resources, prioritize fiscal responsibility, control unchecked growth, and make good on the tired promise of quality jobs.

To my neighbors and friends, I would like to make a personal appeal. 

I ask that you take a moment from your busy lives and careers to reflect quietly on what transparent and accessible local government mean to all of us.

I believe there remains one fundamental mechanism which will allow us to prevail over the insiders and well-heeled donor class that seem intent on taking our lifestyle and heritage away from us and handing it to outside speculators for backdoor personal enrichment:

It is the ultimate power of the ballot box.

We still have a democratic process that allows one person, one vote. 

I believe that if enough like-minded citizens hold firm to the basic belief that we can control our destiny by electing strong, ethical, and visionary members of our community to high public office, we can once again balance political power and restore transparency, fairness, and the spirit of democracy in Volusia County government.

If you haven’t already – I am asking you to go to the polls and cast your ballot today.

Take a friend with you. Hell, take two.

Vote like your lives and livelihoods depend upon it.

And, regardless of who is ultimately elected tonight, I promise you I will be here to hold them accountable – without fear or favor – stirring the pot, standing up to the bullies, keeping things equal (and interesting), and ensuring that those who hold themselves out for public office serve our highest and best interests – not the mercenary desires of a few wealthy power brokers who, up to now, have controlled our elections with their checkbook. 

Thank you to everyone who participated in our sacred political process – candidates and voters alike.

Now, we wait. . .

Godspeed – and good luck.