Life in the City
By Bari Auerbach

‘Every Vote Counts’

Pursuant with a request by the Miami-Dade Elections Department, election day in Sunny Isles Beach has been changed from Tuesday, Nov. 13 to Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007. But if by any chance you miss your chance to exercise your right to vote, you just may have a second chance if these important issues make it onto a future ballot:

Should there be more sun year-round? At 2 a.m. on March 11, Americans turned their clocks forward one hour, marking the beginning of Daylight Savings Time – but if you’d vote for keeping DST year-round just think how great that could be for Sunny Isles Beach! Residents and visitors could stay at the beach even longer working on their tans resulting in less traffic at rush hour...There would be a surge in suntan lotion sales, benefiting local merchants...Plus with more time to finish building, there would be less construction noise!

Should there be shorter waits at favorite restaurants? If you’d vote in favor of adding more tables to busy restaurants, there would no longer be a need to carry around one of those big beepers, hoping and praying it starts flashing before your date can finish telling you everything you didn’t want to know about their “ex from hell.”

Should there be more efficient use of time while stuck in traffic? Would you vote to ban putting on lipstick, drinking coffee, talking on cell phones and surfing radio channels while stuck in traffic – and create a new law mandating motorists use their time more wisely? Activities could include reading classic literature; listening to CD’s about peace love and tolerance; and taking short naps to feel refreshed when the light finally turns green.

Should there be a coupon only line? How many times have you been behind someone on the check-out line who has enough coupons to virtually get all their groceries for free? If your ice cream has ever started melting while you were waiting, perhaps you’d vote for a “coupon only” line. If established, this could rally support for similar streamlined lines such as the “pay with a check that takes forever to write line”; the “price check on everything you’ve ever been embarrassed about buying line”; and the “Don’t tell me this isn’t on sale – send over the manager line.”

Should there be a new resident screening process? Would you vote in favor of a new resident screening process much like the ones condo boards currently have? To pass, applicants would also have to take an oath pledging to keep their dogs on a leash and not dress them in outfits matching theirs; and to always be extra friendly to neighbors in elevators who never say, “Hi!”

...And so, while many elections don’t get the highest turnouts, when it comes to fulfilling expectations that residents will continue to enjoy the highest quality of life, Sunny Isles Beach always gets the most votes of confidence!

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