Friday, January 05, 2007

Giving the Public the Finger in New Hartford

Another day, another story illustrating New Hartford Town government's disdain for the public it was elected to serve . . . the public who is paying their salaries. From short Town Meetings where everything has apparently been decided privately beforehand, to meetings called at odd times on short notice, to bonding resolutions with vague language, to information disappearing from the "official" town website - - now we have the Town Board failing to provide absentee ballots for residents who will be out of town during the upcoming bond referendum.

Whether or not the Town may legally deny absentee ballots (which may be decided in court) is not as important as the apparent lack of interest by Town Officials in doing so.

Quoting from today's OD:
"The town is within its rights by not adopting absentee ballots, said Barbara Bartoletti, legislative director of the New York state League of Women Voters.
"But that seems a poor public policy," she said. "Participatory democracy demands that citizens have the right to vote where their dollars are concerned.""(emphasis supplied)

Poor public policy, indeed! That New Hartford Town government is not interested in "participatory democracy" is evident not only on the absentee ballot issue but from the other incidents listed above.

Simply put: New Hartford Town officials do not display the respect for the public necessary for them to hold public office. They either need to make an adjustment in their attitudes or resign.


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