Stop Rewarding Bad Behavior

To the Editor:

Here we are again with the Legislative Council ignoring the information they do have and making major decisions based on information they do not have.

Last month, the primary reason the council gave for cutting the proposed education budget by more than it has ever been cut after a failed referendum was that voters were angry over a lack of confidence in the schools administration. To some council members, this explained the 600-vote gap between the Yes and No votes. In just a matter of days, according to council members, taxpayer sentiment over the budget changed from being about full-day kindergarten to one of anger of the superintendent.

At least that was their story then, and I didn’t buy it.

I personally researched every e-mail, letter, and public comment in the record from every BOE, BOF and LC meeting since January leading up to the referendum. While there was plenty of feedback, only one letter supports the council’s basis for cutting the education request by $1 million. One letter.

I would argue that the Republican primary, held on the same day, is the reason for so many No votes. This brought out far more fiscally conservative Republicans, many of whom do not normally participate in our local budget referendum. Further evidence that my theory is correct is that fewer total voters turned out for the second referendum than for the first, which is a rare if not a first-time event. Too many taxpayers choose to sit our referendums out, including many of the Republican primary voters.

So in my opinion, after the first referendum, the council got it very, very wrong. But the bad behavior didn’t stop there.

After the referendum failed for a second time, the council made it clear they wanted feedback from the public to help them understand what to do next. And they got it. More feedback than has ever been received prior to such a decision before. A variety of opinions, but a clear majority requesting that the council either reduce or restore the $1 million cut.

Yet even with this new information before them, some council members used last week’s meeting to explain why many of the e-mails will be “dismissed” (my word not theirs). For example, council members said “the e-mails were too similar to each other” or “they were not as compelling as other e-mails.” Apparently, one or more members have determined that “cut and paste” feedback doesn’t count.

And so even though there was not one mention at this last meeting about the “confidence” justification for the $1 million cut, the council refused to budge.

Passing this budget will only provide these officials the opportunity to say next year when we are in the same situation “after we cut the education request by $1 million, the budget was approved by the public.” I refuse to reward bad behavior.

Kevin Fitzgerald

24 Old Farm Hill Road, Newtown                                  May 23, 2012