Call this the cynic's theory of politics.

Politicians do not work for "the people." That notion is a myth spawned by Thomas Jefferson, who should have known better, and perpetuated for a couple of centuries by well-meaning political philosophers.

So who do politicians work for? Voters, not people.

Yes, yes, voters are people too. But — and most critically — not all people are voters. And therein lies an observation that explains much about American politics and, especially, Boston politics.

It is true that your vote is secret (unless you live in Ward 21, Precinct 2, which has been known to have only one person vote in an election). But the fact that you did or did not vote is no secret at all. I have in my campaign office a list of every single person who voted in my district for the last eight years. Similar lists are kept by other council candidates, state reps, state senators and the mayor.

In the last election, 2,196 votes were cast voted in Ward 5, the ward that includes the Back Bay, Beacon Hill and much of the Fenway. Meanwhile, there were 7,243 votes in Ward 6, the ward that includes much of South Boston.

So here are a few hypotheticals. In one, I'm the Mayor. I have a dollar to spend, and both Ward 5 and Ward 6 want it. Who gets the money?

Correct! Ward 6 gets the money because Ward 6 votes. The Mayor works for voters because voters put him in office and voters can take him out.

Hypothetical number two. A well-connected and wealthy developer wants to build a large project — say, a football stadium — in Ward 6. Another well-connected and wealthy developer wants to build a large project — say, a development over the Turnpike — in Ward 5. You're the Mayor. Who do you stick out your neck for?

Of course, this is no hypothetical at all. A well-connected developer did try to build a football stadium in South Boston. And the Mayor went to considerable lengths and took real political risk to stop it (including being jeered by thousands of fans just as the Patriots were heading for the Superbowl in New Orleans). Sure, South Boston was right on the merits. Sure, a stadium would have hit residents in the neighborhood hard. But what really spoke here was political power.

Now Ward 5 faces a similar challenge. Millennium Partners, the intended developer of the air rights parcels by Tower Records over the Pike, has yet to make a formal proposal. And maybe, just maybe, it will be a great proposal that fits in well with the Back Bay and the Fenway and everyone applauds.

But suppose it's not? Suppose it's big and incongruous? Suppose it has the potential to wreck the two neighborhoods?

That's when we'll go running to the mayor and the city council and the state legislature and the governor and beg for assistance. Maybe our arguments will ring true. Maybe our cause will be just. And they'll listen carefully and shake their heads and say, "We'll see what we can do." And then they'll think about political power and the costs of taking political risks and …

Anyway, that's Tom's Theory: Ward 5 doesn't vote, so Ward 5 is weak. Of course there is an opportunity coming up that could make Ward 5 strong. It's called voting. It happens on Tuesday, November 4th. You might, just might, think about doing it yourself.