The Northfield CQE held a Vote Yes! wine-tasting event last night at the James Gang Hideaway in support of the proposed operating levy and capital projects referenda on Nov. 7. Left photo (click to enlarge): Anne Maple and Julie Pritchard speaking to the crowd; right: HideAway owners Joan and Jim Spaulding. (Full disclosure: I work on their website. Joan will soon be a blogger.)
See the album for the event for two dozen more photos.
I’ve decided to vote yes on both referenda, and not just because I consumed a lot of free food and wine on the premises of a client. I still don’t think the School Board has been as transparent as I’d like them to be about all the factors that have contributed to the current financial crunch. They’re hoping that the public will see the legislature and external events as the only culprits. I’d like to see a little “in retrospect, we board members could/should have done X and Y…” I don’t think that would hurt their cause — that kind of transparency would sure win me over.
But I do believe the near-doomsday scenarios on program and staff cutbacks if the first levy question doesn’t pass. My LG colleague and co-host Ross Currier made the prediction, based on conversations he’d had with local businesses, that the failure of the levy could have a longer-term economic impact on the area. Fewer families would be inclined to relocate here. Fewer businesses would be inclined to expand or locate here. Prospective employees may be less inclined to accept jobs here.
Now if I could just get a couple of Board members and the Superintendent blogging…
Current Discussion Threads