To the Editor:
Since I’m unable to attend the rescheduled town meeting, I’m writing to express my opposition to considering a re-vote. An active participant in a democracy has the responsibility to be informed of the issues, to participate in the voting process and to accept the decision of the majority.
It is insulting (and a little ironic) that in this age of social media and online access to town records, a vocal minority are now claiming that we, the Wilton electorate, were uninformed. Really? Here’s a test: how many Wilton residents were aware of the recent arrest of a teacher within 24 hours of the event? If you can shop online, you can be an informed voter in Wilton.
Waving pink flyers and flogging technicalities of committee membership may elicit a review from the SEEC, but they won’t change the fundamental fact that the Wilton voters were as informed as they cared to be, they voted, and it’s done. This is precisely why the SEEC doesn’t have the power to invalidate the votes of Connecticut’s citizens. However much a minority may wish a “do-over,” when the majority speaks we all must listen and respect the outcome.
Finally, in spite of all the angry letters, the comparisons to Tammany Hall, the canvassing, and the criticisms of Wilton’s most involved and generous citizens, only a few more people have expressed their opposition than the 952 that originally voted against the bond issue. This is hardly a compelling justification for an unprecedented erosion of our democratic process. This vote, like all other town votes, must and will stand.
However, this should not discourage concerned citizens from now getting involved in the project and putting their considerable energies into ensuring it exceeds its goals. And I propose that this is a more productive use of the Feb. 17 town meeting — to discuss how citizens can engage and contribute to the success of the Miller-Driscoll project.
Rick Kenneally
Rick, You’ve stated that “Waving pink flyers and flogging technicalities of committee membership may elicit a review from the SEEC.” A review by the SEEC is a serious matter and an embarrassment to everyone in Wilton. The review signifies that some activities by the BOS and volunteer committee members leading up to the vote were more than likely improper and possibly illegal. If they are found to have done so they should apologize for their actions and resign their positions. There is no room for “cheating a little” to get a desired outcome – it sends a terrible message to our young students.
LTWR,
That’s a GREAT point – it is definitely a good message to our students that it is not acceptable to “cheat a little”. Here’s another positive message for Wilton’s students: “We are a nation of laws and those laws are not arbitrary”. There are punishments for cheating, and both guilt and punishment are determined by due process not by mob opinion. Here’s another good message: “Democracy works for you if you participate”. If you ignore the meetings, ignore the notices, ignore the signs and don’t show up to vote, you can’t just petition your way to a do-over. Here’s another good message for our students: “Every vote counts.” A narrow margin of victory is still a victory – it is NOT an invitation to demand a re-vote. And here’s a message many parents and grandparents support: “Be gracious and responsible in defeat.” It will set a great example for our students if/when “Sensible” turns its energy in a positive direction and starts helping the M-D project be successful. And here is a final message not just for students but for future parents in Wilton: “One of Wilton’s top priorities is the quality of our schools.”
Rick, Thanks for the follow-up and the compliment – very much appreciated! However, although I thought you got my point I see that you are still talking about the post election results. I am not contesting any of those points. The issue is and has been the actions that many of our elected officials and hard working volunteers took during the pre-election period. The SEEC is reviewing those actions and that in itself is a sign that there may have been “a little cheating” and if so, that will be a very embarrassing situation for all of us – especially, those who committed the infractions and those who support their doing so. As we all agree, we are a nation of laws but it appears as if some of those charged w. carrying out the laws failed to do so and that is the issue not the outcome of the vote which is possibly the result of people bending the laws.