A few weeks ago, a local newspaper printed an editorial that said because there were six races up for election and there was only one contested race, that the people of Allen are apathetic.  At the time, I remember thinking, “Well perhaps it just means that Allen citizens are happy with the status quo and that if we had a really low turnout then that would be evidence that we are apathetic.”   I was convinced that we were not apathetic but just happy with the way things have been going in our fine city.  Then came the election.  In case you didn’t notice, 927 people voted in the May 3rd election.   There are 30,969 registered voters in Allen and 927 voted.  Less than 3%!
 
Why do I bring this up in the Chamber of Commerce newsletter?  Because, what happens in elections (especially local elections) can be extremely important to our member businesses.   What happens on the City Council, the ordinances, the tax rates, the decisions on infrastructure and services are all vitally important to Allen businesses.  What happens on the school board has a direct effect on the very reason that many people move to Allen (our excellent school system).  An apathetic population cannot be good for the future for Allen.  And, if it's not good for the future of Allen, then it can’t be good for companies doing business in Allen.
 
So, is there some other explanation or are we really apathetic?  I am having a hard time seeing any other possibility.  I don’t know what the answer is, but I think we should do something about it.  Perhaps it has the makings of a good project for a future Leadership Allen class.   As business and community leaders let’s work to stamp out apathy in our community.
 
If you think I’m off base, I would love to hear from you.   If you think it's true and have an idea for what we might do about it, I would also love to hear from you.  I guess if I don’t hear from anybody, it will make the apathy case even stronger.