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Tyngsboro pitiful election turnout: 11.5%

Earlier today, I complained about how Dracut had less than 25% of its voters participate in Monday’s election (see post below), but apparently folks in Tyngsboro were willing to settle for even less. Leadership decisions for the town were made by a mere 11.5% of those registered to vote in yesterday’s election—that doesn’t include the many people who are eligible but don’t bother to register. Most likely the pitiful turnout was because it was an uncontested race for many of the incumbents (that in itself is a problem) and there were no referendum questions. Whatever the reasons, the extremely low turnout further supports my fear that democracy is doomed if we can’t shake the apathy of our citizens and get more people to “check back in” as Governor Patrick says.

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Minority running town of Dracut

For most people, the news about Monday’s elections in Dracut was more about who got voted in or out—absolutely important but not what struck me about the race. For me, a disturbing aspect of the election was the fact that less than 25% of eligible voters even bothered to participate. That means town leadership—the people making decisions about taxes, police, fire and the schools, which will directly impact the lives of every Dracut resident—was determined by a small minority of people. Am I the only one alarmed by this trend? Yesterday, at my favorite local coffee shop, I expressed these concerns to the young people making my brew, only to become further distressed. Both Mary, who is 20 and grew up in the Highlands, and John, who is 19 and grew up in Belvidere, (not their real names) proudly announced that they were not registered to vote, nor did they have any intention of voting, ever. “Why bother?” noted John. “My vote won’t make a difference.”  When I protested that every vote did matter and gave specific examples of close local races in recent memory, John pointed out that it definitely didn’t matter in national elections. Without replaying the entire argument, it was his parting comment that really got me: “Maybe I’d vote if there were honest politicians who actually did what they promised to do.” Obviously John didn’t know I was on the school committee, but as you can imagine, I felt inclined to defend myself and every other person who has done what I consider an act of great courage–that is, put your name on the ballot and run for office. more »

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Re-entry

In France they say bonne rentrée when people return to work and school after the summer vacation. Having just returned from a ten-day vacation, I feel how appropriate that phrase can be – but whether the transition is smooth or shocking depends on many factors.  It would be nice to be able to let the relaxed, happy feeling of vacation seep into the fabric of daily life, but it wears away too soon, lost in the snarl of morning traffic, the piles of mail and laundry that must be waded through, and the lengthening ‘to-do’ list. For me, reading my email and favorite blogs is the best way of getting reoriented. I was thrilled to learn that the Cambodian opera sold out every performance, but sorry to hear about the tennis-court controversy (as one who plays at Callery Park in the Highlands, I think I can safely say that these are the worst courts in the city – trash-strewn and cracked with sagging nets).   It’s taking awhile to catch up to the unfolding events in the city council election and the MA-05 race, and I didn’t realize until too late that the Council was debating the two proposed new schools last night or I would have gone to the meeting. It seems so short-sighted not to take the State’s offer and do both of these last two schools, completing the building program that began in 1992, and for which many city councilors now congratulate themselves.

Still, taking the good with the bad, it is nice to return home to green lawns and tulips and daffodils in bloom. And, the lilac at my back door is blooming and filling the air with perfume – c’est bon!

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