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S. Redford BOE: "No" to November Elections; Say They Would Lose "Power"
Topic Started: Sep 16 2009, 01:28 PM (228 Views)
Ms. AK
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http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090916/NEWS16/90916001/0/NEWS10/South-Redford-says-no-to-November-school-elections

South Redford says no to November school elections
BY LARRY RUEHLEN • OBSERVER STAFF WRITER • SEPTEMBER 16, 2009

Faced with the choice of saving $16,000 or “preserving the sanctity” of what it does, the South Redford. Board of Education refused to switch district elections to November Monday.

“There are couple of things that trouble me about moving it to the general election,” said Tom Dowdy, board vice president. “I’m of afraid of it getting possibly politicized.”

Seventeen school districts in Wayne County have moved elections to the November to save money. Districts holding independent elections must reimburse the county. Trustee Stephen Baker backed the switch and didn’t hide his frustration when it failed on a 3-3 vote with President Laurie Hicks absent.

“If we were going to kill this, we should have killed it before the public hearing,” said Baker. The public discord was unusual for the board, which often presents a united front.

“My concern is flipping over a quorum on this board,” said Treasurer Cheryl Flesher. “If something happens and issues are going and we become a target, an organization can organize against us and put their own people in here. “That bothers me,” said Flesher. “The money is a big thing, but we begin to lose our power if people organize on other levels and want to come in and have a say.”

The South Redford Education Association unsuccessfully tried to gain a foothold on the board by putting up a write-in candidate in the last election. Voting against moving the election to November were Dowdy, Flesher and Trustee Gregory Van Morgan. Favoring the switch were Secretary Bruce Mazurka and trustees Baker and Elizabeth Kangas.

All agreed it would be good to save money, but half didn’t think it was worth the risk of adding the school election to the November General Election. While school elections typically draw a couple hundred voters, thousands flock to the polls to decide state, national and local offices in November.

Dowdy said he wanted to “maintain the purity, the sanctity of this table,” by keeping the district’s election in May.

Kangas disagreed. “Our community has always been so incredibly active,” she said. “I would find it hard to believe that our parents could be easily persuaded — I know our township has gotten into some really nasty politics and I’m not saying anything new — but I can’t see our parents going there. I think they are smarter than that.” In 2008, just 89 people turned up at the polls for the district election, which was uncontested. The year before that, the election was contested and voter turnout was 7 percent.

Several years back, state lawmakers set a limit on elections dates to both save money and to encourage fewer of those special-purpose elections that would bring out only a handful of voters. Districts were given the choice of the early May schools-only elections or piggybacking onto the August or November election dates.

Bill Troilet, teacher’s union president, was surprised by the vote. “We’ve gotten rid of bottled water at the administration building and turned off appliances at our schools,” he said. “So yes, I’m disappointed. This could have saved thousands of dollars.” In maintaining the status quo, board members also denied themselves automatic term extensions.

Switching to November would have extended every current board member’s term between six and 18 months. In line for 18-month extensions were Hicks, Dowdy, Mazurowski and Baker. Six-month extensions would have gone to Van Morgan, Kangas and Flesher.

Board members said another vote is likely when all seven members attend a meeting.


In Your Voice | READ REACTIONS TO THIS STORY


knowsmorethanyou wrote:
The 3 that voted no are strictly looking out for themselfs, period. Van Morgan could care less what happens around here as long as he can make a buck somehow, it's his motto. His affiliation with the "team" Handy and the recall group is obvious and it is sad that he brings his politics into a school districts business. He doesn't care if $ is flushed away as with this and his support of a clinic at Pierce ect... because he'll only want the votes to keep his extra income(s) off the taxpayers. He loves that Redford is becoming what Detroit is, just as his "team" feels.....
9/16/2009 12:46:37 PM
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DJ-08 wrote:
Tom Dowdy please explain how this keeps the SANCTITY and PURITY of a school election?? WHAT about the cost savings? Is there a possibility of a revote with Hicks present or was her absence her vote? I think it's time for some long time Board members to hit the road, it seems the meetings I've seen Tom is fighting to stay awake ,he looks bored. Maybe time for a recall on some education board members, this vote makes no sense!
9/16/2009 12:12:51 PM
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mrsriff wrote:
I think it is easy to see that the board members that voted no are the ones that are afraid they will not be re-elected if there are more people at the polls to vote in a November election. This is a shame. This was a no-brainer decision. The money they could have saved could mean the difference between keeping a kindergarten aid, a media specialist, an after school program, more buses...instead three board members chose to do what is in THEIR best interest, not the districs best interest. That's okay, Kangas is right, the South Redford parents are smart and we are keeping track of which board members are looking out for our kids and not themselves.
9/16/2009 11:17:03 AM
Krome on Cars

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Whatever
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“My concern is flipping over a quorum on this board,” said Treasurer Cheryl Flesher. “If something happens and issues are going and we become a target, an organization can organize against us and put their own people in here. “That bothers me,” said Flesher. “The money is a big thing, but we begin to lose our power if people organize on other levels and want to come in and have a say.”

Wow. I can't believe someone actually said this. So much for the democratic process. In light of the budget crisis, the state should force districts to move to November. This is not a good argument to keep a board election in May. Very scary comments.

Even the union president thinks they should be moved to November. What's up with that?
Edited by Whatever, Sep 17 2009, 09:46 AM.
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