Sometimes you have to pick your battles.

The Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce failed Monday to get its non-partisan initiative placed on the November ballot by the Osceola County Commission.

Chamber President Mike Horner persuaded just three of the four commissioners needed to invoke the County Charter and place the initiative to allow Osceola County voters to decide whether they want non-partisan County Commission races on the General Election ballot.

The commission may now be forced to approve a costly special election since the chamber expects to miss the general election petition deadline in early July to hand into the Supervisor of Elections office the necessary petitions needed to have the initiative placed on the November ballot.

Supervisor of Elections Mary Jane Arrington quoted the minimum cost of a special election at $350,000.

We think that’s an unnecessary tab to hand taxpayers. What’s the rush? We appreciate the hard work chamber officials did to try to persuade the commission. In fact, we believe that the County Commission seats should be non-partisan, but in the end, let the voters decide. Just don’t hit them with a special tax to do so. Why not wait for the 2014 ballot?

Commission Chairman John Quiñones said before he voted for the measure that $350,000 could be better spent. We couldn’t agree more.

The chamber has spent at least $60,000 on the petition drive, paying $3.10 per petition gathered. Horner said the chamber has invested too much time and money to stop pursuing the matter this election cycle. He said generating 20,000 petitions was expensive and that the chamber would not do that again, adding that the chamber chooses to be frugal.

Well, according to the Osceola County Supervisor of Elections Office, it wouldn’t have to. The chamber’s petitions would not expire and could be used toward the 2014 election as long as they have the required number of valid signatures and meet the deadline for submittal, said Amber Smith, Election’s Office spokeswoman. So, there is would be no additional cost forthcoming to the chamber to submit the petitions in two years.

A number of people spoke at the County Commission meeting before the vote. The opposition questioned why the chamber would put the commission in the predicament of holding a costly special election rather than working harder to make the July petition deadline or waiting until the 2014 election. We think that’s a valid point. At least by 2014, the chamber could re-evaluate why it came up short and not repeat the same outcome.

Horner himself said by putting the initiative on the November ballot, not only would the commission have saved taxpayers at least $350,000, but voter turnout would be higher than in a special election. OK, so it’s not going to be on this November General Election ballot. But is two years really that far off?