by Jason Henry
Sometimes a shift is a good thing. For the first time since 1949, the city of Apopka will no longer have the services of America’s oldest mayor, John Land. The 93-year old Land lost to Joe Kilsheimer; a man almost 40 years Land’s junior, in the city’s race for mayor.
Kilsheimer said that the city needed a new direction and that Land wasn’t the voice the residents needed. Apparently he was right as he captured 54 percent of the vote to send Land packing.
Plus, Land gave a reference to General George Patton in his concession speech, which more than speaks to Kilshiemer’s point about direction and youth.
Land said that he served in General Patton’s army back in World War II, another reference which proves that youth wasn’t on his side in his last race.
The same narrative was drawn for the voters of District Five in Orlando. Voters took to the polls to pick a new commissioner for the first time in 16 years. Commissioner Daisy Lynum abruptly announced her retirement a few months ago and her son, Juan Lynum, filed to run and take her place.
But Regina Hill, the fighter who landed enough punches on Commissioner Lynum and her son, to draw enough support to send the race for District Five into a run-off.
The name Lynum, like Land, was/is an institution in Orlando politics. For the past 16 years, Daisy Lynum served as the proxy for the voters of District Five on the city commission.
Hill, like Kilshiemer, ran hard and had a relentless attitude about altering the status quo. Hill’s message of investing more into the people of District Five resonated, just look at the results.
More than anything, I believe these two races encapsulate the power of how voting can change things. While “things” is a generic word that may encompass everything from fixing the potholes on the street to easing corruption, it lends itself to the belief that change is doable.
It doesn’t happen overnight and it surely doesn’t happen though osmosis.
What we learned about Apopka and District Five in Orlando is that a shift toward a new direction happened. The belief in one candidate or another is what drove voters to believe that change was possible.
What’s left for the voters to decide now is how that change will look. In Apopka, what direction is needed? How will youth and energy afford the city to live up to its potential?
If Lynum or Hill emerge victorious in their run-off, what shape does the district take without Daisy controlling its fortune?
Shifting can sometimes be a good thing, but if we’re not careful, it will quickly take the form of the very thing we wanted to change in the first place.
