THRASHING OF PUBLIC QUESTIONS BY NA VOTERS DEMANDS A NEW PLAN, DECEMBER REFERENDUM LOOKS DOOMED!
The North Arlington Board of Education found out one thing they need to consider before moving forward with another “dead on arrival” referendum this December and that’s do they have any public support for this massive transformation of this school district?
Trying to sell a $13,300,000 spending spree on the notion that the NA school population is increasing by leaps and bounds clearly failed, and do they want to risk another embarrassment at the polls in wake of a 2.5-1 landslide defeat on November 5th?
With no organized opposition of the three questions that were easily defeated despite support from Mayor Dan Pronti and his three GOP candidates for Borough Council, how do they expect to garner any serious support when they failed to receive at least 30% of the vote?
While many believe North Arlington has shifted demographically speaking, one thing remains obvious and that is North Arlington remains a right-of-center, tax sensitive community.
But despite the loss, the board seems intent to move forward with what appears to be another landslide defeat come December.
“When those sample ballots were mailed, that spelled defeat for those public questions. When the sample ballot is received for the next election, the results will be no different,” offered one former school trustee when asked to comment.
“You need to build a consensus, a notion that the value exceeds any cost and that did not happen on November 5th so what makes anyone think the electorate will change their minds in such a short period of time?”
Others believe no effort was made to reach out to non-school age parents, seniors and empty nesters.
Many feel the value lies in what’s in it for those residents who don’t have children who make-up a clear majority of voters.
The last successful referendum regarding building improvements and upgrades was in 1992 when voter support was across the board that resulted in the conversion of Wilson elementary into the Middle School we have today.
“Not a single trustee came out and actively campaigned for the questions, not even the two incumbents that were running unopposed. The outreach was awful and the results reflect an overwhelming sense the school board is simply tone deaf to higher school taxes,” offered one longtime observer of North Arlington’s public schools.
“A Town Hall would be a good idea. They need to go back to the drawing board and build some kind of support for something that will pass. They are currently detached from the hard economic realities that no NA Voter is going to increase their own property taxes by nearly $1,000 dollars whether they have children or not. They need support and they need it quickly.”
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