The Straw Vote: A Modest Proposal
Yesterday a man who lives near the proposed site for the new school asked me,"Will the straw vote be by show of hands or by a secret ballot?"
I told him that I didn't know, but that I hoped it would be a secret ballot. Looking into this a little today, I found this language concerning the straw vote (the only language as far as I can tell):
Pretty vague, with no real parameters for how the straw vote is to be conducted.
Here's why we need a secret ballot: More people will come to the meeting. A wider and more representative crowd will yield a vote that will be possibly more representative.
Why does this matter? After all, the District can just stuff the hall with school folks and win! Isn't winning what really matters?
Actually, no, not necessarily. Art often expressed the notion at Board meetings that if the public is not driving the discussion you risk "winning the site- and losing the school." "Winning" at this stage might be short- sighted and ultimately lead to complete defeat for the idea of any new facility.
More important at this stage than winning is to have a real representative vote. It would be possible -- quite possible -- to win on the site and lose at the referendum. If the choice of the Fern Road site will result in negative votes at the ultimate referendum it's better to know earlier rather than later. Losing at the site vote would still allow the District to pursue another site. Losing at the referendum will probably result in years of further delays.
Here's the proposal: Hold the "straw" vote in November, at the elections, in the form of a non-binding referendum. The greatest possible turnout will be assured. No one can reasonably question the outcome, whatever it is. The added time -- August, September, October -- can be used in hearings to solicit public input and get out all the information the electorate needs to make an informed decision.
What would be the downside?
I told him that I didn't know, but that I hoped it would be a secret ballot. Looking into this a little today, I found this language concerning the straw vote (the only language as far as I can tell):
Prior to Site Approval the school administrative unit shall hold the first of two required public hearings to present the site to the public and to take and record a straw vote.[from Chapter 61, Sec. 6, School Construction Eligibility And Approval Process, A, Site Approval]
Pretty vague, with no real parameters for how the straw vote is to be conducted.
Here's why we need a secret ballot: More people will come to the meeting. A wider and more representative crowd will yield a vote that will be possibly more representative.
Why does this matter? After all, the District can just stuff the hall with school folks and win! Isn't winning what really matters?
Actually, no, not necessarily. Art often expressed the notion at Board meetings that if the public is not driving the discussion you risk "winning the site- and losing the school." "Winning" at this stage might be short- sighted and ultimately lead to complete defeat for the idea of any new facility.
More important at this stage than winning is to have a real representative vote. It would be possible -- quite possible -- to win on the site and lose at the referendum. If the choice of the Fern Road site will result in negative votes at the ultimate referendum it's better to know earlier rather than later. Losing at the site vote would still allow the District to pursue another site. Losing at the referendum will probably result in years of further delays.
Here's the proposal: Hold the "straw" vote in November, at the elections, in the form of a non-binding referendum. The greatest possible turnout will be assured. No one can reasonably question the outcome, whatever it is. The added time -- August, September, October -- can be used in hearings to solicit public input and get out all the information the electorate needs to make an informed decision.
What would be the downside?
posted by PP | 7/10/2006 05:46:00 AM
7 Comments:
Voting at the polls is not the same as voting at "a public hearing".
Why would it take three months to present information about the site? We've been dillydallying over this school project for 5-7 years now, depending on who you talk to. Most of those years were under your leadership of the Board. Finally we get a superintendent who wants to "call the question". Let's get on with it, for crying outloud. You seem to want to delay forever even after you and Art led the board to the Garland Road sites.
You wrote this: "After all, the District can just stuff the hall with school folks and win! "
Well, you and Art can do the same. Those "school folks" are taxpaying residents of MSAD 46. They aren't aliens.
Never throw mud. You may miss your mark, but you will have dirty hands. - Parker
Your hands are getting very dirty fellows.
I don't need any more information than what the District has provided. I don't need any more time to consider my vote. I'm voting NO.
Didn't the previous straw votes pass? What happened to those attempts?
School Facilities Services/Transportation
http://www.maine.gov/education/const/homepage.htm
Major Capital School Construction Projects
http://www.maine.gov/education/const/mcip.htm
Rules
http://www.state.me.us/education/const/rules.htm
School Construction Project Workbook
http://www.maine.gov/education/const/pw000.html
To "tolstoyfan",
Review the history of the District's last new school attempt and referendum votes.
"Those who fail to learn from the past...
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