COMMENTARY

MARK SCHUMANN

In a news analysis story published today, Press Journal writer Ed Bierschenk accurately reported that former Vero Beach City Councilwoman Tracy Carroll’s support from barrier island voters fell 40 percent since her 2011 election — from 995 votes to 593. Perhaps just as importantly, however, Carroll’s support from mainland voters dropped 53 percent – from 780 votes to 368.

Only thirty-eight percent of Carroll’s votes last Tuesday came from the mainland, while Amelia Graves received 58 percent of her support from mainland voters. The significance of Grave’s mainland strength is this: she would have needed only 17 island votes to have defeated Carroll. At the same time, it is also true that Graves’ margin of victory over Carroll was almost equal to the number of votes she received from island voters.

Another important observation from last week’s vote totals is that if the election had been held only among island voters, or just among mainland voters, Graves would have won over Carroll either way.  Graves’ was, quite simply, a community-wide victory.

Last week’s election results can be spun any number of ways.  I choose to believe mainland voters woke up and joined with many barrier islanders in sending a loud and clear message that they will boot out of office any council member who gives serious thought to crazy notions like selling Crestlawn Cemetery, turning over public land for private use and gutting city services.