Rey Neville’s re-election to the Vero Beach City Council last week doesn’t mean we’re likely to see more Democrats winning local elections, or even chipping away at Republican dominance of our politics.
That’s as unlikely to happen now as it was before Neville, a registered Democrat, secured a second term by finishing second among seven candidates for two seats on the council.
“Democrats here don’t want to run for local office,” said Al Griffiths, president of the Democrats of Indian River.
Not as Democrats, anyway.
Even School Board member Mara Schiff – the lone Democrat to be elected to a countywide office – didn’t tout her party affiliation when she ran for her District 1 seat three years ago.
“I slid in under the radar,” Schiff said, adding that she expects the nonpartisan race to be considerably more politicized if she seeks re-election next year, because she’s a “better-known entity now.”
In other words: Local Republican leaders, who ignored the spirit of No Party Affiliation elections when they publicly endorsed Teri Barenborg and Jackie Rosario in their successful School Board races in 2018, would make sure in 2022 that everyone knows Schiff is a Democrat.
Schiff’s party affiliation shouldn’t be a factor, of course, considering her vast experience in education, knowledge of the issues and the professional, non-political way she has approached the school district’s business.
Probably, though, it will be – and it could be too much to overcome.
“We’re so tribal in our politics and there’s so much divisiveness these days that, if you declare yourself and run as a Democrat, you’re likely to lose,” Neville said. “People will reject you and your ideas, strictly because of party.”
Neville, a political newcomer when he was elected in 2019, didn’t have a choice: City Council elections also are supposed to be nonpartisan, prohibiting candidates from running under a party banner.
It wouldn’t have mattered, though.
“From everything I’ve seen and heard, Rey doesn’t want to be identified as a Democrat,” Griffiths said, “and he’s vehement about it.”
Instead, Neville ran on his reputation and record, which proved to be strong enough to fend off a pathetic attempt by the Venice-based Citizens For Florida Prosperity – a political action committee he suspects was invited by local Republicans – to inject partisanship into the race here.
The PAC’s mailer, sent to Republican voters in the city, noted that the Florida Democratic Party “took credit” for electing Neville in 2019 and claimed it was “hard to tell the difference” between him and President Joe Biden.
“I’m sure there were some people who didn’t know I wasn’t a Republican and found out when they received that mailer,” Neville said. “The mailer, though, wasn’t about my policies. It was about my politics. But I don’t let my politics affect my positions on policy.”
The PAC’s misguided efforts failed.
Neville doesn’t know how many Republicans voted for him, but he said he appreciates their willingness to put aside the polarization of today’s politics.
“They seemed to not care about the politics, which is a good thing,” Neville said. “I’m flattered that people who are staunch Republicans voted for me. I could not have gotten elected without their votes.”
Could another Democrat do the same?
Could Schiff – in these times, now that her party affiliation is widely known – again pull in enough votes to get re-elected?
Griffiths said any local candidates who “run with a ‘D’ behind their names” can count on getting 35 percent of the vote, but they’ll need Republicans or No Party Affiliation voters to win.
As of Monday: 48 percent of the county’s registered voters were Republicans; 26.7 percent were Democrats; 23 percent had no party affiliation; and 2.3 percent were affiliated with other parties.
“Mara could win again,” Griffiths said. “Rey Neville proved that a person the public knows and respects can get elected and even re-elected. He got Republican votes, so that bodes well for her, and she’s also a proven commodity.”
Schiff, however, said Neville’s deep roots and longstanding relationships in the community helped offset his party affiliation. He managed to get re-elected despite spending less money on his campaign than any of the other six candidates.
Neville won his off-year election race by being apolitical.
“I don’t want to get involved in party politics,” Neville said. “I do what I think is right and what’s best for the city, and that seems to be working for me.”
Schiff does the same serving on our School Board, where she puts students before politics and gets along well with her Republican colleagues.
Will that get her a second term, if she seeks one?
If not, don’t expect to see another Democrat elected to the School Board – or any other countywide office – any time soon.
As Neville said: He couldn’t have won without getting Republican votes.
Until the community’s demographics change, no Democrat can.
