The Town Budget passed by 276; the BOE Budget passed by 16.
There had to be a recount because the vote passed on the first count by less than .5% and the recount fixed discrepancies in the East Street and Northville vote numbers.
The turnout was 18.767%; 3139 people voted.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
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41 comments:
Once again, another lame and apathetic turnout for the voters of new milford.
Once again, the referendum was intentionally under-publicized by the town government (and press). This is the devious means to justify their end of budget passage.
In a low voter turn-out such as this, the people who have a vested interest in seeing government grow (public employees and their family members) are fully aware of the voting date and turn out in mass, while average citizens are unaware there’s even a vote going on.
I’m surprised the vote was even this close…
next year the police will round people up and taser them until they vote.
Do you read the paper?
Do you drive around town?
There were signs at every school.
There were signs on route 7.
Come on.
82% of the people didn't vote.
They missed the budget hearings and deliberations.
The BOE discussing the budget on Ch 17.
The newspaper articles about the budget.
AND the fact that the budget vote is in May every year.
AND the budget votes in every other town.
Seriously, notification is not why people don't vote.
It was raining.
I was too busy.
I was out of town...
Also, kudo's to the new machines; voting is much quicker
It is just a shame that I felt compelled to vote YES on the School budget when I REALLY wanted to vote NO, but I was afraid of the whole budget going down-and the following cuts that would be made. What a shame the Charter Revision Committee didn't take advantage of their opportunity and seperate the two budgets so that people like me aren't forced into a yes vote when I really mean NO.
What was the count on the ADVISORY questions? I did vote no to that one.
To Anonymous at 7:30am
You must be a NY weekender to have missed all the signs, newspaper discussions and tv.
Either that or you live in a cave.
The BOE discussed the budget on Ch 17? The Nielsen Ratings must have been through the roof on that one!
I agree that the budget referendum is always PURPOSELY under publicized. A few small, photocopied, grayscale signs put out on the day of the vote simply doesn't cut it.
If our public officials REALLY wanted people to vote, they'd have large, colorful signs and banners placed in conspicuous locations around town for several days prior to the vote.
Because our public officials make so little effort to adequately inform the public, it’s pretty obvious they WANT low voter turnout…
I think it's pretty lame that people go around N.M., and bitch about how things are run, when only 18% of the population of N.M., actually got up off there lazy butts to vote. I think your complaining would be better served, by getting out in town and participating in making N.M. the place it should be.....
Jay-
How do we get this question on the ballot for next year?
"If the Budget passes and there is less than 75% voter turnout should the increases only be applied to those who did NOT vote and to anyone who did vote and would like to admit they voted to pass the budget?"
Type into google - new milford budget vote
What is the top link.
www.newstimes.com/localnews/ci_9282839 - 44k
If signs, internet, and tv are not enough, then I don't know what to say.
Its amazing how annoyed you people get when the budget passes and your out your 30 bucks a month.
I think the point you guys are missing the majority of voters want the schools to be funded. So complain all you want. For as long as that demographic holds the budgets will be passed.
What are you in the "sour grapes" crowd talking about? The budget has been on the front page of the local rags since January, this blog has numerous posts on it, and the date of the referendum was in the paper two or three weeks prior to the vote.
Don't complain about the boogie man of voter suppression. Only voter ignorance and appathy are to blame.
The Yes side should be complaining, too. If they had lost because 13 people didn't show up, they would be saying the same thing. Wake up, NM, and pull the lever!
It appears people want the town budget to increase and half want the school budget to increase.
And this is a bad year for passing budgets.
There doesn't appear to be "sour grapes" about the referendum results, just an observation that our public officials make little effort to adequately inform the public at large about the voting date.
The result is low voter turn-out that’s statistically skewed towards budget passage.
Think about it, the town sends automated phone messages to everyone in New Milford for trivial matters such as temporary road closures; don’t you think a reminder about voting more equally important? If so, then why don’t they?
The implication is that if our public officials REALLY wanted people to vote, they’d advertise better or send a simple telephonic voting reminder to everyone in New Milford.
"Its amazing how annoyed you people get when the budget passes and your out your 30 bucks a month.
I think the point you guys are missing the majority of voters want the schools to be funded. So complain all you want. For as long as that demographic holds the budgets will be passed."
My taxes to the Town will now be $124 a week. A huge ripoff.
The bigger point, that YOU are missing, is that 12,000 people didn't vote....
We can't validly claim that a majority of the eligible voters want ANY budget passed, much less than what all the residents want.
The Republican members of the Town Council tend to under estimate the voters of New Milford. The Mayor and the Board of Finance, both Republican and Democrat knew the working together a compromise budget would pass. Roger Szendy was positive the added money would be the straw that would break the camels back. Oops wrong again, Roger. Two years in a row the voters surprised every Republican member of the Town Council. With the Bush made horrible mess of our economy the New Milford voters still said ,even by a slim margin, they stand for better schools. I said it last year and I said it again this ,"we have turned the page on voting to hurt our schools.
Thanks to the people who came out to vote.
Great observations, Shelly. The local Republicans have a skewed sense of what "the people" want from their schools and town. Most of our facilities are second rate compared to other towns, and NM residents want better.
It's time for the old timers with the skewed perceptions to get out of government. Szendy, O'Brien, Lillis, and Guendelsberger need to head out to pasture...
I was one of the few who did vote, but the amazing thing here is the apathy about these budgets.
The one side screams how the middle class is being squeezed out of town.
The other side laments how the schools are being ruined by 'cutting' the budgets.
Both side are hysterical in over stating their case.
The schools are pretty good and would not crumble if the budget was reduced a little.
If the middle class is being squeezed, then where are they when they have a chance to save themselves by voting down the budget?
Neither sides argument ring true.
The sad truth is the overwhelming majority of the people in New Milford just do not care enough to vote, and that is a bigger problem than the budget itself.
What was the count on the advisory questions?
With the public schools getting $750,000 extra this year, NMHS should be graduating a lot more geniuses in the coming years…
The vote on the Town Advisory Question (if the budget is defeated, should the amount be increased?) was 657 yes and 2418 no.
The vote on the School Advisory Question (if the budget is defeated, should the amount be increased?)was 1033 yes and 2046 no.
Thanks for the numbers.
Not surprising that the school side is more supportative of an increased funding.
Good job to the Voters who came out.
The Town can move forward without a bloodily battle over a small budget increase. Now they can work to grow the Tax base by attracting new businesses, helping existing business to expand, establishing commuter rail service and reinventing the riverfront as a recreational destination.
As the Route 7 bypass and the new shopping centers get completed this small tax increase will become a temporary inconvenience. New Milford has the brightest future for growth in the entire region.
New Milford is a beautiful community and in the near future it is going to grow into one of the best communities in New England. If the Nay sayers, whiners, and negative people don't like it, then MOVE.
Congratulations to the Voters for coming out and exercising your right to vote.
I find the spin interesting between the two factions on the BOE vote-
one side, yeah our budget was wonderful and it passed by a whole whopping 16 votes! We are right!
The other side, wow the school budget barely passed by 16 votes so the BOE had better start rethinking what they ask for next year.
Obviously from the ADVISORY questions the forceful NO votes should tell the BOE that their budget next year better not be higher so I'm leaning to side two and hope the BOE starts looking at their budget now.....
I'm sure the BOE is shaking in their collective boots over next year's budget!
Well....the voters have spoken...So there's no point in arguing over the decision...
The biggest problem is the apathy shown by the majority of the residents. By not voting, they allowed a very small minority to decide how their money is spent. Ironically, those who didn't vote will be the ones complaining that their taxes are too high.....
In this referendum, the total number of voters was LESS than the total number of ballots cast (a.k.a. ballot stuffing).
“… the recount fixed discrepancies in the East Street and Northville vote numbers..”
In other words, the number of actual voters was disregarded to allow for the “extra” votes of people who stuffed more than one ballot into the box.
This is just crooked old-fashioned “machine politics” where precinct captains know they need to deliver their precinct at all costs, and do whatever it takes.
The basic truth about politics hasn't changed for millennia; the quest for political power is ruthless and unprincipled.
Mobocracy in action!
In small towns like New Milford, the preferred method of rigging elections is for ballot-stuffers to cast votes in the name(s) of people who didn’t show up at the polls. This effective method of election fraud is known as “telegraphing”.
One of the more infamous examples of telegraphing is "Landslide Lyndon" Johnson stealing a few key Texas counties to acquire his U.S. Senate seat in 1948. In one of the precincts “won” by LBJ, over 200 ballots had amazingly been cast in alphabetical order!
Telegraphing is obviously just as effective with the new voting machines in New Milford as it was with traditional ballots in Texas (1948), Chicago (1960), Palm Beach (2000), etc.
Ironically, the "taxes are too high" crowd probably did show up to vote. Those who are satisfied with their town and schools are far less motivated to vote, and likely didn't show up.
so you lost now you claim fraud. Please.
"My taxes to the Town will now be $124 a week"
My heart bleeds for you. Small price to pay to allow children decent schools.
We can't validly claim that a majority of the eligible voters want ANY budget passed, much less than what all the residents want.
Umm yes we can. its irrelevant what the others want since they didn't vote.
Just deal with it. This town is not full of yokels anymore. There are families that chose to settle here and want good schools and are willing to fund them. If you don't like it well, hey. thats your right.
You're absolutely right......but they're terribly misinformed if they believe that this budget will result in any improvement in education.....More money will not make the system any better....
If I truly believed that an increased budget would actually improve education for the children, I would wholeheartedly support it.....Unfortunately, most of the cheerleaders on the BOE believe it, and a (very small) majority of the voters have also drank a bit too much of the Kool-Aid.....
Of course, next year, they'll be asking for more, and they'll probably get it again, despite the fact that no actual measurable improvements in education will have occurred.....
“So you lost now you claim fraud. Please…”
This naïve poster apparently believes New Milford is the only municipality in the entire world with honest, sincere politicians as pure as the driven snow!
Sensible people know better.
If it’s any conciliation, a collection of cynical essays and comics (yes comics) titled “The Illuminati Papers” made a compelling argument that corrupt politicians are preferable to honest ones.
The essays introduce “Celine's Laws”, three political truths that are as universal as Newton’s Three Laws of Motion. Celine's Third Law states: “An honest politician is a national calamity”.
The proof goes as follows:
While dishonest politicians are interested only in enriching themselves (by abusing the public trust), honest politicians are far more dangerous because they sincerely try to better society through political action (writing and implementing evermore burdensome laws).
Corrupt politicians merely abuse their office to line their own pockets. Honest (idealist) politicians abuse their office by inadvertently chipping away at the people's freedom through onerous legislation.
So, corrupt politicians are preferable to honest ones… Whoda thought?
That’s why I’m so delighted to be a New Milford resident!
Pointless nonsense (see posting above)
Makes perfect sense to me (see 2nd to last posting).
O.K., So the B.O.E. got there dream once again. In my eyes though, the point is not how much they got, or who corrupted who,or who lied to who, it's; what will they do with the money?????????. I challenge the B.O.E. to print in the Spectrum, what exactly they will do with the newly found pot of gold that has been handed to them!!! And how they are going to improve the education of my children? Good Luck....
I don't agree with the poster who said there was little notification of the vote - I even forgot the day before but in driving home I saw a sign that reminded me the budget vote was May 20th. But I do agree that the reverse 911 system is used for issues much more petty than reminding folks to vote. Why not a reverse 911 call to get out the vote?
Because a low voter turnout = budget passage.
That way our elected officials don’t have to concern themselves with trivial matters such as prioritizing spending and they can go on pretending that their “bare bones” budget contains no fraud, waste, abuse, inefficiency and/or largess.
You can state that government takes advantage of low voter turnout to pass budgets till the cows come home...
They simply are taking advantage of a situation that was created by those very people who put them in office.
Bottom line remains the same...inaction can result in action.
Most voters simply do not care...a serious copout, and perhaps a danger and liability.
The nonvoters should be ashamed for shunning their civic responsibility.
And by extension, not voting makes them crappy citizens.
Do we really want to hear their voices anyway?
Well, how great is that,the powers at hand decided to wait till after the budget vote to make known the fact that the current budget is 4 million dollars short???? Typical of our town gov. to hide the oops!!!! Now they are going to want extra money from the undesignated fund, or should I say slush fund for spending beyond the towns means...Like I said before , when are we going to hold our town and education boards responsible for OUR money, and make them accountable for where it is spent. I think its time to hire a town manager to run our town like the business that it is...
On May 21, 2008 8:44 AM, anonymous said:
"...so that people like me aren't forced into a yes vote when I really mean NO..."
Unfortunately, irrational people like this are the norm, not the exception, on Election Day. These voters believe that if they show up at the polling place and cast uninformed votes for candidates and issues they know little or nothing about, they are somehow doing their “civic duty”. Nothing could be further from the truth…
The sheer depth of most individual voters' ignorance is the single greatest threat to our democratic system.
It is tough to predict that someone will turn into a moron once you elect them.
The public doesn't want the truth from our elected official, they want platitudes and generalities and earmarks.
No one wants someone to say, I'm going to run the town like GE.
Which would mean an eye on profit and firing the lowest 10% every year.
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