Local News Media Plays Important Role in Municipal Elections
By: Quezia Salgado
While many in the journalism industry believe the field of print journalism is dying and losing to online media and blogging, this year’s Boca Raton Municipal elections have proven them wrong. In contrast with past elections, the number of people who came out to vote in Boca this year nearly doubled, with almost 11,000 voters. These results are, no doubt, due to not only the efforts of each candidate’s campaigns, but also to the local media’s support. This is especially true to the city council members who used their community media to place ads and spread the word about what they stand for.
Re-elected to remain in his position in city council seat B, Michael Mullaugh took 52.23% of the votes against his opponents Mohamed Abdulla, Craig Ehrnst, and Eric Gooden: “I feel very vindicated; I’ve been on the council for 5 years and I felt that if I simply ran on my record and talked positively about what I have done, and didn’t attack anyone, the people would vote for me based on that, and they did, and I am very happy.” Mullaugh expressed his gratitude toward all local media outlets, including the Boca Raton Tribune, saying that all publicity has been very helpful and definitely was a contributing factor for his victory.
Likewise, newcomer Robert Weinroth, who is the council’s new addition in Seat D, has been quite vocal about the role played by the local media and newspapers, which he used to advertise his campaign: The opportunity to present my agenda on line and through the Boca Tribune allowed the electorate to get to know me and my ideas. In the final analysis, the voters got it right.”
“We would be remiss if we didn’t, likewise, thank the publishers of the Boca Raton Tribune for giving so much coverage to this election,” added Weinroth. “The detail and scope of the coverage could not be provided by a paper with a broader circulation.”
The news team at the Boca Raton Tribune is proud to have been a part of the efforts behind these elections, through the ads, interviews, and website content in support of all candidates. The surveys taken by readers predicted the winners 24 hours before the official results, and as CEO Douglas Heizer said: “Community newspapers matter. We are your closest neighbor and we are here to stay.”
“Clearly,” concluded Weinroth. “The ‘hometown’ paper is an essential source for local news coverage and the Boca Raton Tribune has answered that need.”
