Enough of our banter about the Presidential election. Most have made up their minds and all the back-and-forth here isn't accomplishing much other than to get people agitated. How about some discussion of a ballot proposal that does have the potential to effect many of us in the very short term?

As in 2004, Sumter County voters are being asked how they want their county commissioners elected. "Reverse One Sumter," a political committee, has gotten enough signatures to place the question on the general-election ballot in November. The Reverse One Sumter committee is largely comprised of residents that live outside The Villages and several of the former county commissioners who were replaced in the 2004 elections.

Voting "yes" on the ballot proposal will mean that voters choose only the commissioner in their district. Voting "no" will mean that voters can choose all 5 county commissioners.

County Commissioner Doug Gilpin from The Villages has voiced his support of the current system. “As a county commissioner, I serve the whole county, not just part of it,” Gilpin said during Tuesday’s regular commission meeting. “I enjoy being accountable to the whole county and work for all the taxpayers. Why in the world would anybody want to return to the bad, old days of higher taxes, poor service and pork-barrel politics?”

However John Campbell, Reverse One Sumter spokesman, thinks elections can be improved. Voting on only one commissioner gives citizens in smaller districts “more ability to deal with that commissioner,” Campbell said. After the initial passage of One Sumter in 2004, elections brought new people to the commission to replace commissioners who had served in that position for years. The property tax rate has gone down annually, Lake Panasoffkee residents witnessed canal dredging activities (which were previously not done for "financial reasons"), the county is in the midst of jail and office expansion projects, many new road improvements have been completed or are underway, and Villages residents are starting to see a more efficient and equal return use of their taxes. Gilpin says that this is can all be credited to the change four years ago to One Sumter. Campbell disagrees. In reference to the dropping tax rate, he says, “It’s dropped because of the growth.”

Pay attention to this ballot proposal, folks. Many years ago there was a tea party somewhere up north having to do with taxation without representation. If the Sumter County good old boys are successful in overturning One Sumter, we'll being going back in that direction--with the good old boys grabbing and spending our tax dollars a long way away from The Villages.