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One Would Think

The Republican Town Committee scrambled last Monday to inform people that an addition was being proposed to the Board of Selectmen meeting. An agenda change was announced only hours before the meeting, and in fact was kept secret even from the Republicans on the board. Its purpose was reportedly to set a date for the referendum vote for the Board of Education’s $130 million school building plan and for the $14 million Academy School remodeling into a massive community center.

We already have votes scheduled this year, so it would be ideal to add this referendum to one of those. Referenda votes have very low voter turnout (e.g., 25 percent) while presidential elections have very high turnout (80 percent or higher). This is a vote on future expenditures on a very large scale, and after all the presentations and community briefings over many years, one would think that the Board of Selectmen would want to present this to a vote at which the most voters could participate. One would be wrong.

At the meeting, Selectman Scott Murphy (D) proposed that the date be set for a standalone referendum in the first week of October. The Democrats indicated that this would give them more time to educate the public. Additionally, Murphy argued that voters needed separate votes so they could focus on one thing at a time and not be confused by national and state elections. Selectman Bruce Wilson (R) made the point that Madison voters are smart enough to understand the issues at multiple levels; “I respectfully disagree with that,” said Murphy.

So why did they push for October? Clearly, the Democrats want to push both of these measures through with only their supporters voting—they do not want the townspeople to participate. Apparently, we’re not smart enough.

Dennis Crowe

Madison