Cowlitz County newcomer James Misner will be our newest county commissioner, after ousting incumbent Axel Swanson in the general election. Today's Longview Daily News ran a front page article about the race, which I anxiously read because I have been trying to figure out what happened in that race myself. Mr. Misner was previously a painting contractor in Clark County and is now in the process of trying to build a zip-line park in the Silver Lake area. I believe he has lived here less than a year. But he makes cool signs. His signs, made in different animal shapes have been a topic of conversation, even amongst Axel's supporters since they began to go up around the county.
Misner didn't seem to run a high profile campaign, and I really wasn't all that worried about Axel retaining his seat, BUT....
The paper suggests that the signs were a big deal to voters. WOW! I can't even wrap my brain around that one. Anyone who would cast a vote based on cool signs should maybe reconsider voting! Maybe voters are suffering from the Dunning-Kruger effect--"a cognitive bias in which an unskilled person makes poor decisions and reaches erroneous conclusions, but their incompetence denies them the metacognitive ability to realize their mistakes." (Morris, Errol, The New York Times)
Or maybe not. Hmm. Perhaps this race was a result of stances taken and decisions made by Axel? There have been a few that have really fired up local residents: the proposed gun range near Castle Rock, the septic inspection issue, and of course, the county's proposed purchase of the Weyerhaeuser landfill. Enough to pull together a win like this for a previously unknown opponent? I don't think so.
In reality, Axel Swanson most likely lost this race for the same "reason" as many other races in our country last Tuesday--voters primarily wanted to "vote the bums out," and anyone who was up for re-election was a target.
Mr. Misner seemed to base his campaign around the problems that the county Building & Planning Department has had, and continues to have. I hope, once he gets over the learning curve for the job, that he can keep his promise to the voters.
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