Happy People Don't Vote

Mr. Norman Breyer, ex-Arlington Heights Village Trustee, lost his bid for re-election. Mr. Breyer may have the distinct honor of losing a re-election bid twice, even with the support of the Mulder voting block, this maybe the only case in Arlington Heights history. He was first elected in 1993 and lost in 1997, he was re-elected in 2005 and in 2009, but lost in 2013.
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Mr. Breyer is a personable guy. He did feign some interest in 1996 after the Metra express train hit a school bus, killing 7 students in Fox River Grove on October 25, 1995. That was when Metra was trying to bully local municipalities to pay for their safety upgrades around rail crossings, or have their train whistles blowing all night.
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But Mr. Breyer has a perverse view of democracy. He would see a Board room full of citizens as there are many more citizens that are not there. Therefore there are more citizens happy with the opposite view of those present. Only unhappy people show up to complain. Happy citizens stay home.
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When discussing with him the pathetic low voter turnout, he would retort that 'happy people don't vote'. Implying that the electorate is so happy with the Village Board there is no need to vote. Taken to the logical conclusion a zero voter turnout would mean that everyone is happy. Unfortunately for Mr. Breyer too many happy people stayed home and he lost. Supposedly he was too good as a trustee.
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This is an absurd perspective of course that completely misses the point about the democratic process. His views show a level of arrogance that should not be tolerated in any public official.
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There is something seriously wrong with a system that only gets a 20% or less voter turnout. I would expect elected officials to see that as a problem not a benefit for getting re-elected.
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A democracy works best with maximum participation. Mr. Breyer does not understand that simple principle and thankfully he lost. Unfortunately others that were re-elected to the Village Board share the same mentality.
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Hopefully Mr. Breyer is gone for good this time as a Village trustee. We need to move forward and not be stuck in the mud of some archaic sentiment from the past.