| Abstract: | "Bricks and mortar" issues have replaced taxes and services as the focal point of local elections in many communities. Voters dissatisfied with elected officials' infrastructure decisions have increasingly tossed them out of office. This study analyzes municipal election data from 47 Florida cities and 60 electoral contests where incumbents lost in 2001. (Florida's incumbent defeat rate exceeds that of the nation at large.) The larger the city, the more likely an infrastructure issue is at the heart of an incumbent's defeat. Infrastructure issues can spell defeat for elected officials in both high- and low-growth communities, but for different reasons. |
