I've blogged at least a couple times about our need for rights of initiative, referendum and recall - - so that the voters can do the dirty work that their elected representatives are unwilling to do. Well today on page 6D of the Observer-Dispatch is a prime example of why we need recall.
Just a few weeks ago New York Mills voters rejected an 8.9 million dollar school construction project - - - It was a narrow defeat, but a defeat none the less. Today a Legal Notice was published that the matter is coming back for another vote on January 23.
This is an abuse of power, plain and simple.
The school board knows that all they have to do is some minor tweaking and they can bring the matter back on a second time. . . . or a third. . . . or whatever it takes until it passes. The schools control more votes than ever because of their expanding employment practices, with teachers' assistants and aides becoming the norm rather than the exception. Although voting is a "civic duty," people eventually get sick of being ignored . . . so voters who don't support such spending will stay home. . . . .
Once a bond vote passes, the voters on the losing side don't have an equal opportunity to bring the matter back up again . . . and again.
New York Mills' population is dropping, so not expanding is not going to create an emergency for the school board to deal with. The school board needs to show respect for the residents. The voters have spoken.
The New York Mills school board mocks the referendum process and disrespects the will of the people. Every school board member who voted to put this matter up for a vote again should be ashamed.
A right of recall -- the right to immediately vote them out of office -- might make these people a little more sensitive to what the voters are saying.
2 comments:
I am all for RECALL! I too, live in New York Mills and would like to see our School Board Members "thrown out of office."
I wonder where our newly elected Town Councilperson (Christine Krupa) stands?
She was very much against a commercial building going behind her property on 504 Main Street, New York Mills. Now let us see her true colors.
Strikeslip has a good point. All school districts seem to use the same playbook. After a budget or special capital improvement proposal vote fails, the districts go back to the drawing board to tweak the offer ever so slightly to get the school board to rubberstamp it and offer it up for another vote. It seems that these failed budgets and capital improvement proposals seem to perpetually resurrect themselves like dandelions on an untreated lawn.
Strikeslip wants to replace the entire New York Mills School Board for their inability to spend taxpayer money responsibly. And I agree. This is a great suggestion, but it has little chance of having any success. This is because School boards are largely hand-picked by the Superintendents and Business Officers (the administration) for their rubberstamp abilities. Yes . . . yes I know that all typical School Board Candidate is elected by the district voters. The fact of the matter is that these candidates are recruited by the administration. Most of the time these candidates are enlisted from those parents who have students involved with the sports boosters, art or band programs. Another favored potential School Board Candidate will typically be connected or related to a member of the Teacher’s Union. Perhaps this candidate will be a district resident who happens to be a Teacher Union member working in another school district. The administration knows these groups will suffer the most should a budget proposal happen to go down to defeat. If this should happen, the board members can easily be persuaded to pass a resolution to offer up a revote in order to avoid having their child, spouse or relative become a possible victim of an austerity budget cut.
Dirty politics is no stranger to School Districts. In smaller communities, the “wag the dog” mentality has influenced Village as well as Town Board votes. In Westmoreland, it is apparent that the School district has been successful in getting “school district friendly” candidates elected to open Town Board and Town Justice seats. The Westmoreland School District Sports Boosters organization allowed certain candidates the use of their bulk mail permit, largely supported by student activities and community donations, to generate campaign material! Now that is “WAG THE DOG!”
Perhaps New York State School Law should be amended to allow the voters to have a revote option to oppose passed budgets and capital improvement proposals that tax too much utility out of the local economy. At least make the school districts come clean in terms of projecting exactly what a new school facility or program will cost the District to maintain. Building a huge facility is one thing, but staffing, heating, and generally maintaining it is another big ticket item that will cost the community for many years in the future. Let’s make them do their “homework” for a change by forcing them to submit a responsible, fair and responsible budget or capital improvement proposal to the voters.
Post a Comment