Is there ANY candidate - and I'm referring to the only race in town, Councilor-at-Large - who is running a promise to vote AGAINST this project? I haven't head any yet, but it's still early in the season. I'd be surprised if anyone took that stance.
I agree this will be a tough campaign in the spring. I'm optimistic, and I think most people will be receptive to the idea, assuming nothing outlandish happens. But I know strange things happen once the curtain on the voting booth closes.
We should remember that the last debt exclusion question in 2008 nearly passed, and that was with very little campaigning by the proponents except for then Mayor John Moak. At the time, Moak blamed the state election laws for limiting the scope of the campaign.
I fault the state incredibly," Moak said, saying his hands were tied by campaign guidelines that prohibited him from sending out a mailer or letter to households explaining the question and detailing the proposal.
The city was also prohibited from including a summary with the question on the ballot, breaking down what a "yes" or "no" vote would mean.
"I can tell you that 60 people didn't know what this was about," Moak said last night, standing in the City Hall foyer. "Do you know how many people would have wanted a summary?"
I still don't understand what the issue was but I'm hopeful that if the school folks apply themselves they can get this done.
We need a new school.
5 comments:
It's a non-issue for me, Tom. Parents want a better school for their kids, and seniors want a place to congregate. This gets both if approved by the voters; and those I've talked with in recent weeks support it.
Tom - Have the laws changed since Mayor Moak was prohibited from doing what he felt was needed to "campaign" for the debt exclusion? I agree that we need a new school, but with the Daily News apparently more interested in stirring controversy than in reporting on important issues, I don't think we can count on it as a source of unbiased information.
Hi Joe,
Don't know to be honest. As far as I can tell, nothing could keep an outside booster group from campaigning in favor. I seem to recall that the mayor wanted to keep the campaigning low-key as to not arouse strong opposition. But I might be wrong.
As for the News, I've heard such criticism before about it's interest in controversy. TO be honest, I haven't seen it. I might have a blind spot for the paper (or a soft heart) but I think it's largely responsible in reporting.
I think the Gazette ignores more things than it publishes. For example, we do not get a report from every council meeting. Many days, the "Newburyport News" is just recycled Club pres releases. I have the impression that there are no actual reporters at the Daily News.
I meant the Daily News, not the Gazette in the previous comment. I was thinking of the Gazette, because when I was on the School Board in a small NH town in the Gazette's territory, they regularly had a reporter at our meetings, and there was almost always a story the next day. That may not be true now that it's owned by the same firm that owns the Daily News, but it was then.
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