Power politics used to crush a new idea

As a member of Urbana Citizens for Instant Runoff Voting, I believe it is important to see the recent special township meeting in Urbana for what it was: a defensive rear guard action by local Democrats designed to preserve their control over the political process.

Through aggressive efforts by Mayor Laurel Prussing, in particular, approximately 100 party loyalists were rounded up to deny efforts by a small grass-roots organization to reform the way local elections are conducted. This oftentimes rude assembly managed to deny Urbana voters the opportunity to vote on a nonbinding referendum this fall that would have given the city council a sense of what the community felt about instant runoff voting.