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| Julie Markey and Teddy Turner Farmers Market of Bluffton 2013 |
I marvel at the number of "best/worst of" lists that exist regionally and nationally. We've gradually become a society with an insatiable thirst for immediate access to rankings, i.e. Trip Advisor; listings, i.e. Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chef; and polling, i.e. the plethora of notations made regarding the candidates running in South Carolina's Congressional District 1 primary. It's not that I disagree with the application of these tools. It just seems that they have become the norm.
Do we like the fact that one bad or inaccurate review can taint a really great restaurant? What about the chefs who don't appear on some "best of" list? Does polling really provide the pulse of a community anymore? There are as many outlets extolling opinion as there are stars in the sky thanks to the immediacy and convenience of current technology. For the better part of the last ten years a slurry of authorities and influencers have burst out on the scene to direct public opinion in one fashion or another.
A vote is a very personal endeavor. In my opinion the most reliable and accurate perspectives come from those whose bottom lines are directly impacted by the decision making of officials operating in the public domain. People like Julie Markey of Savannah Hydroponics & Organics, Mike Wilson of Affairs to Remember, or Orchid Paulmeier of One Hot Mamas/The Lodge Hilton Head. They live here, create economic growth here, and sustain a way of life here for themselves and others. I look to them to share their experiences so that my vote is connected to the greater needs of my community. If "we" need a better voice in the rule making process of our economy then I'm going with the candidate that has the best chance of carrying messages to and from the process, who understands the model of service, who sets out to protect the interests of future generations, who can manage the hard truth of what has to be done and convey that to constituents, who knows what success and failure looks like first hand, and who will align his agenda with the elected colleagues whose same aim is to represent the interests of my district.
I have found that Teddy Turner meets the needs of the people I live, work and play with here in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. We are a coastal community that encompasses some of the most exceptional natural vistas along the East Coast with a diverse population of strong-willed and remarkable people. We need change and it's not the cookie cutter cut out of an elected official that's been baked up for the masses time and time again. We need change and we need it now.
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