Voters spoke, but what did they say?

Last week's election results were hardly surprising. Almost 50 percent of all registered voters turned out to have their say about presidential candidates and the tax referendum.

On the surface in Nassau County (where 51 percent are registered as Republicans, 34 percent as Democrats, and 15 percent as independent or nonpartisan), the facts were fairly conclusive. Voters were overwhelmingly in favor of tax reform, Republicans preferred Mitt Romney and Democrats supported Hillary Clinton (though the winning candidates could muster no more than 40 percent of the vote).

From these results, can we really be sure what voters were saying? We'll never know how many voted for the tax referendum because they wanted to see their own tax bills reduced, or because they felt that county government was fiscally irresponsible and needed to be taught a lesson. Did Republicans endorse Romney because of his position on issues of the day, or because they felt that governors have far more management and budget responsibilities than members of Congress? Did Democrats back Hillary because of her experience or her gender? What was the real message?

About the only thing we know for sure is that voters in Nassau County, like most of America, are quite divided and nowhere close to being in agreement about what matters most. So now it's time to anticipate what the consequences of our election choices might be. For the most part, we know what to expect as a result of the passage of Proposition One - we'll see a reduction in taxes, and we'll see the need for county governments to trim their budgets.

What concerns me most is the manner in which Nassau County commissioners will decide where those cuts should be made, especially when they've led us to believe there already were insufficient funds to pay for infrastructure improvements or social service programs.

When it comes to allocation of resources, the powers-that-be in America seem to favor short-term reactionary solutions much more than long-term preventive measures. For example, it's a fact that our jails and prisons are overcrowded. Some will call for more funds to build more prisons. Others would rather focus on the issues that often lead to imprisonment - inadequate education and employment opportunities, a broken foster-care system, insufficient drug treatment rehabilitation programs, and so on - and spend funds on prevention. So how will we ever decide at the local level which departments and programs deserve to be funded and which ones should be cut?

A few weeks ago, after being nabbed in a speed trap, I wouldn't have minded if the police department was forced to trim its budget. It got me thinking about what was really essential to our public safety and well-being, and the way in which our priorities have often become misguided.

If we expect our city and county officials (and those they supervise) to make wise decisions, we must be prepared to do more than vote if we expect our voices to be heard. Attend meetings. Be in touch with your elected representatives. Serve on advisory boards. Only when we get involved and speak up can we expect our elected officials to understand our concerns and priorities.