According to the data posted to the Board of Elections website, it wasn't even remotely close, with 81% of those who voted electing to keep an at-large system for the election of the four non-Supervisor members of the Huntington Town Board or Town Council.
Given the fact that the Council District proponents were dramatically out-spent -- and that is a gross understatement -- by the builders and lawyers and Huntington politicians and their toadies and sycophants, that result should not be surprising. In this process, I have lost a lot of respect for some people that I once admired, even if I did not agree with them on every issue. But, I would like to have seen them at least be morally offended by the unholy alliance that financed the "NO" campaign.
For my part, I would rather be on the right side of history, than the winning side, particularly when we look at how their victory was achieved. If we had a local press that was actually independent of the political powers behind our current town government, we might hope to see some good investigative journalism of how that spending package was put together. But, good investigative journalism has not been seen in the Town of Huntington for at least the last five years, and it is unlikely to begin now.
Therefore, it is time for all of us -- proponents and opponents -- to move on and to proceed with our normal interaction with a town government that has generally done a decent job, but could have been even better with greater representative democracy.
Jerry Hannon
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Missing: A Partridge in a Pear Tree?
[originally transmitted 12/20/09]
So, let’s tally up; as of 8 PM today, Sunday, December 20th, we have had:
Hundreds of expensive red signs,
Multiple pages of ads in local newspapers,
Five very expensive mailings,
Two robo-calls on this very Sunday,
But no partridge in a pear tree?
The power brokers and money brokers seem intent on buying the votes of Huntington residents at the special referendum on Tuesday, asking us to vote “no” on Council Districts (also known, under New York Law, as a Ward System”) for Huntington.
Recalling that the year 2000 Census indicated that there were 65,917 households in the Town of Huntington, just start adding up what they have been spending, which I am now calculating -- after the fifth mailing, and the multiple pages of ads, and the additional red signs that have been popping up recently -- as between $125,000 and $150,000.
Remember that the builders, and union leaders, and lawyers, and Town Board members, and their Town Hall cronies, and their Huntington Democratic Party bosses, are combining in what I can only call an unholy alliance.
The independent politicians and media who have endorsed the proposal for Council Districts in Huntington include the following: County Executive Steve Levy (Democrat); County Legislator and Majority Leader Jon Cooper (Democrat); Assemblyman Jim Conte (Republican); Huntington Highway Superintendent William Naughton (Democrat).
It should be noted that Mr. Levy, and Mr. Cooper, and Mr. Naughton are known as very independent Democrats, and Mr. Conte’s Republican colleague, Assemblyman Andrew Raia, has indicated that he could not become involved since his mother is the Town Clerk of Huntington, and he must therefore remain impartial on the matter.
The media supporting this proposal includes News 12 Long Island, Newsday, the Times of Huntington, and the Times of Northport, all of which are independent of present or past Town politics, unlike The Long-Islander, The Record, and The Observer of Northport.
What makes it worth spending a small fortune to make sure you vote “no,” instead of having you vote “yes,” for greater representative democracy in Huntington?
Even the distortions from these folks are becoming stretched beyond credibility as they try to frighten us into staying with the cozy and convenient system that these power brokers all love so much.
One of the latest distortions that I have seen tries to make you imagine that there will be some lack of community integrity if we vote “yes,” for a Ward System or Council Districts.
What they don’t tell you is that our community, and others like us, are already served by more than one legislator at the County level and at the State level.
In Elwood, we have County Legislator Steve Stern and County Legislator Lou D’Amaro, and at the State level we have Assemblyman Andy Raia and Assemblyman Jim Conte.
But, whether we have one Council member or two, the important thing is that we have a legislator who knows our community, and knows our people, and knows our school district. The larger the area served by a legislator, whether Town, or County, or State, the less likely it is that this legislator will have that knowledge, or care as much about us.
Besides that, three school districts in the Town of Huntington even have part of their districts in other Long Island towns: Half Hollow Hills has part of the Town of Babylon; Commack has part of the Town of Smithtown; and Cold Spring Harbor has part of the Town of Oyster Bay.
But, my biggest concern is about this attempt at effectively buying an election, and what that means for the powers behind this campaign.
Why is it worth it to them to spend all of that money, hoping that you will vote "no"?
Remember to vote on Tuesday, December 22nd, at your regular State, and County, and Town polling places.
For my part, I will be voting YES, for a Ward System (Council Districts) for Huntington.
Jerry Hannon
So, let’s tally up; as of 8 PM today, Sunday, December 20th, we have had:
Hundreds of expensive red signs,
Multiple pages of ads in local newspapers,
Five very expensive mailings,
Two robo-calls on this very Sunday,
But no partridge in a pear tree?
The power brokers and money brokers seem intent on buying the votes of Huntington residents at the special referendum on Tuesday, asking us to vote “no” on Council Districts (also known, under New York Law, as a Ward System”) for Huntington.
Recalling that the year 2000 Census indicated that there were 65,917 households in the Town of Huntington, just start adding up what they have been spending, which I am now calculating -- after the fifth mailing, and the multiple pages of ads, and the additional red signs that have been popping up recently -- as between $125,000 and $150,000.
Remember that the builders, and union leaders, and lawyers, and Town Board members, and their Town Hall cronies, and their Huntington Democratic Party bosses, are combining in what I can only call an unholy alliance.
The independent politicians and media who have endorsed the proposal for Council Districts in Huntington include the following: County Executive Steve Levy (Democrat); County Legislator and Majority Leader Jon Cooper (Democrat); Assemblyman Jim Conte (Republican); Huntington Highway Superintendent William Naughton (Democrat).
It should be noted that Mr. Levy, and Mr. Cooper, and Mr. Naughton are known as very independent Democrats, and Mr. Conte’s Republican colleague, Assemblyman Andrew Raia, has indicated that he could not become involved since his mother is the Town Clerk of Huntington, and he must therefore remain impartial on the matter.
The media supporting this proposal includes News 12 Long Island, Newsday, the Times of Huntington, and the Times of Northport, all of which are independent of present or past Town politics, unlike The Long-Islander, The Record, and The Observer of Northport.
What makes it worth spending a small fortune to make sure you vote “no,” instead of having you vote “yes,” for greater representative democracy in Huntington?
Even the distortions from these folks are becoming stretched beyond credibility as they try to frighten us into staying with the cozy and convenient system that these power brokers all love so much.
One of the latest distortions that I have seen tries to make you imagine that there will be some lack of community integrity if we vote “yes,” for a Ward System or Council Districts.
What they don’t tell you is that our community, and others like us, are already served by more than one legislator at the County level and at the State level.
In Elwood, we have County Legislator Steve Stern and County Legislator Lou D’Amaro, and at the State level we have Assemblyman Andy Raia and Assemblyman Jim Conte.
But, whether we have one Council member or two, the important thing is that we have a legislator who knows our community, and knows our people, and knows our school district. The larger the area served by a legislator, whether Town, or County, or State, the less likely it is that this legislator will have that knowledge, or care as much about us.
Besides that, three school districts in the Town of Huntington even have part of their districts in other Long Island towns: Half Hollow Hills has part of the Town of Babylon; Commack has part of the Town of Smithtown; and Cold Spring Harbor has part of the Town of Oyster Bay.
But, my biggest concern is about this attempt at effectively buying an election, and what that means for the powers behind this campaign.
Why is it worth it to them to spend all of that money, hoping that you will vote "no"?
Remember to vote on Tuesday, December 22nd, at your regular State, and County, and Town polling places.
For my part, I will be voting YES, for a Ward System (Council Districts) for Huntington.
Jerry Hannon
The Power Brokers Have Been Unleashed
[originally transmitted 12/10/09]
The Power Brokers Have Been Unleashed
WOW!
The money interests, and the power brokers, are really ganging up on the minimally-funded grass roots effort to create council districts, known in official State jargon as a “ward system,” for the Town of Huntington.
Look at the number of signs (think $$$$) around town that use the catchy phrase “Keep Huntington Whole,” which is about as meaningful a phrase as including the word “democratic” in the “Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea,” which is the North Korean government’s name for itself.
Look at the mass mailing (think $$$$) which the anti-district forces, or anti-ward forces, recently sent out, making a number of wild and unsubstantiated inferences about what the proposed change would do to Huntington residents.
Look at the core group which is behind the anti-district movement; they are dominated by a bunch of politicians and allies who have historically been major factors in the cozy and in-bred town government which people in Huntington have had for decades and decades.
Many of them are the heart of Huntington’s “Old boy and girl” network, the “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” crowd, the self-perpetuation brigade that simply does not want change in Huntington.
And look at the endorsements behind the movement. You will see the personal muscle bearers of the Dix Hills and Melville communities, as well as a number of chamber of commerce powers, as well as a senior officer of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk County.
And this morning I read an E-mail, sent to me by someone on the distribution list of the Long Island Builders Institute (LIBI), which has them jumping on the bandwagon of anti-district/anti-ward forces.
Look at this key statement which leads one of the paragraphs in the LIBI message: “The ward system is emblematic of why it takes so long for anything to get done on Long Island.”
Oh, now I see. The builders want to prevent a district/ward system in Huntington, so that they can speed their development proposals -- and maybe their over-development proposals -- through the current cozy Town government, which they expect will be more builder-friendly than dealing with Council members who will legislatively represent their own district on the Town Board.
I’m sorry, but I still believe in democracy, and in allowing people to be proportionately represented by a legislator who can advocate for his or her own district within the Town Board. The power brokers will always have their power, but the people should themselves be empowered by a more democratic system -- with better response to smaller communities -- than we have right now.
It’s good enough for our State Government, and it’s good enough for our County Government, so why shouldn’t it be good enough for our Town Government?
Jerry Hannon
The Power Brokers Have Been Unleashed
WOW!
The money interests, and the power brokers, are really ganging up on the minimally-funded grass roots effort to create council districts, known in official State jargon as a “ward system,” for the Town of Huntington.
Look at the number of signs (think $$$$) around town that use the catchy phrase “Keep Huntington Whole,” which is about as meaningful a phrase as including the word “democratic” in the “Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea,” which is the North Korean government’s name for itself.
Look at the mass mailing (think $$$$) which the anti-district forces, or anti-ward forces, recently sent out, making a number of wild and unsubstantiated inferences about what the proposed change would do to Huntington residents.
Look at the core group which is behind the anti-district movement; they are dominated by a bunch of politicians and allies who have historically been major factors in the cozy and in-bred town government which people in Huntington have had for decades and decades.
Many of them are the heart of Huntington’s “Old boy and girl” network, the “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” crowd, the self-perpetuation brigade that simply does not want change in Huntington.
And look at the endorsements behind the movement. You will see the personal muscle bearers of the Dix Hills and Melville communities, as well as a number of chamber of commerce powers, as well as a senior officer of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk County.
And this morning I read an E-mail, sent to me by someone on the distribution list of the Long Island Builders Institute (LIBI), which has them jumping on the bandwagon of anti-district/anti-ward forces.
Look at this key statement which leads one of the paragraphs in the LIBI message: “The ward system is emblematic of why it takes so long for anything to get done on Long Island.”
Oh, now I see. The builders want to prevent a district/ward system in Huntington, so that they can speed their development proposals -- and maybe their over-development proposals -- through the current cozy Town government, which they expect will be more builder-friendly than dealing with Council members who will legislatively represent their own district on the Town Board.
I’m sorry, but I still believe in democracy, and in allowing people to be proportionately represented by a legislator who can advocate for his or her own district within the Town Board. The power brokers will always have their power, but the people should themselves be empowered by a more democratic system -- with better response to smaller communities -- than we have right now.
It’s good enough for our State Government, and it’s good enough for our County Government, so why shouldn’t it be good enough for our Town Government?
Jerry Hannon
Yet Another Costly Mailing By Opponents
[originally transmitted 12/14/09]
Yet Another Costly Mailing By Opponents
After receiving another costly mailing (and big money usually means big influence) from the entrenched powers in Huntington who are opposing creation of Council Districts (known in State Law jargon as "Wards"), I contrasted that mailing to Huntington residents with the no-cost E-mail received from Mark Cronin, one of the bipartisan sponsors of the Council District ("Ward" system) movement.
Without commenting in this message on what this group is stating, I have pasted below, for your consideration as a contrast to the mass mailing by opponents, the total message (minus their requests for volunteers to hand out leaflets, or make phone calls, or make donations) which Mr. Cronin sent out on Friday. I suppose, if Mr. Cronin and Concerned Citizens of Huntington can get enough small donations, we may yet see a mailing by the grass-roots forces promoting Council Districts ("Wards").
Toward the end of the pasted text you will see a list of community meetings where you can go to seek dialogue or additional information.
Jerry Hannon
--------------------------------------
[full text of E-mail from Mark Cronin of Concerned Citizens of Huntington, minus final section requesting volunteers or donations]
Vote YES for Council Districts on December 22
Vote Yes for the Ward System on December 22 (Wards = Council Districts)
Council Districts for Huntington has been endorsed by Newsday, News12 Long Island, the Times of Huntington and the Times of Northport, County Executive Steve Levy, County Legislator Jon Cooper, Assemblyman James Conte and thousands of residents who signed petitions to put this issue on the ballot.
More and more residents are supporting Council Districts for Huntington. Why?
· Electing one person who represents you and your community is better than voting for four people who do not represent you and are not accountable to you or your community.
· Electing a Council Person from your district means that you will have a person who will answer your calls and be accountable to you.
· Four Council Districts means that all parts of Town will have a say at Town Hall. All parts of Town will be treated equally: no sections will be ignored while others are treated well. It creates a more fair Town government.
· Council Districts will take the big money out of Town politics. Under the current system the incumbents raised over $220,000 each. They depend on big donors – lawyers, developers and special interests doing business with the Town. With Council Districts, candidates will be elected not because of the money they raise, but because of what they do for the community. Town Council members will care more about the residents in their districts than the big money donors.
· Council Districts will open Town Hall to all residents and all communities. This year the Town Board took 598 votes and all 598 were unanimous. Where’s the debate? Where’s the discussion?
News12 Long Island endorsed Council Districts for Huntington and said, “Similar reforms in Hempstead, North Hempstead and Brookhaven demonstrate that the establishment of council districts brings representation closer to the people, and greater attention to their neighborhoods.” North Hempstead Councilwoman Maria-Christina Poons said, “No doubt about it, Council Districts work better.” Read more endorsements here.
Council Districts do not raise costs. For example, in Brookhaven, there has been no tax increase in the general fund since Council Districts. Hempstead Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby said, “Costs have not risen because of Council Districts. If anything, Council Districts have held down costs because we need to report back to our districts on spending.” Brookhaven Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld said, “Council Districts have not raised government costs. We have absolutely not raised taxes because of Council Districts. Anyone making that claim is spreading misinformation.”
Vote YES for the Ward System (Wards = Council Districts) on December 22.
Want to learn more, click here for our web site or our blog. Or attend a Community Meeting:
· Tuesday, December 15 at 7 p.m.: South Huntington Public Library.
· Wednesday, December 16 at 7 p.m. Huntington Public Library – Main Branch
· Thursday, December 17 at 7 p.m.: Northport Public Library
· Thursday, December 17 at 7 p.m.: NAACP Forum on Council Districts at the South Huntington Public Library
Yet Another Costly Mailing By Opponents
After receiving another costly mailing (and big money usually means big influence) from the entrenched powers in Huntington who are opposing creation of Council Districts (known in State Law jargon as "Wards"), I contrasted that mailing to Huntington residents with the no-cost E-mail received from Mark Cronin, one of the bipartisan sponsors of the Council District ("Ward" system) movement.
Without commenting in this message on what this group is stating, I have pasted below, for your consideration as a contrast to the mass mailing by opponents, the total message (minus their requests for volunteers to hand out leaflets, or make phone calls, or make donations) which Mr. Cronin sent out on Friday. I suppose, if Mr. Cronin and Concerned Citizens of Huntington can get enough small donations, we may yet see a mailing by the grass-roots forces promoting Council Districts ("Wards").
Toward the end of the pasted text you will see a list of community meetings where you can go to seek dialogue or additional information.
Jerry Hannon
--------------------------------------
[full text of E-mail from Mark Cronin of Concerned Citizens of Huntington, minus final section requesting volunteers or donations]
Vote YES for Council Districts on December 22
Vote Yes for the Ward System on December 22 (Wards = Council Districts)
Council Districts for Huntington has been endorsed by Newsday, News12 Long Island, the Times of Huntington and the Times of Northport, County Executive Steve Levy, County Legislator Jon Cooper, Assemblyman James Conte and thousands of residents who signed petitions to put this issue on the ballot.
More and more residents are supporting Council Districts for Huntington. Why?
· Electing one person who represents you and your community is better than voting for four people who do not represent you and are not accountable to you or your community.
· Electing a Council Person from your district means that you will have a person who will answer your calls and be accountable to you.
· Four Council Districts means that all parts of Town will have a say at Town Hall. All parts of Town will be treated equally: no sections will be ignored while others are treated well. It creates a more fair Town government.
· Council Districts will take the big money out of Town politics. Under the current system the incumbents raised over $220,000 each. They depend on big donors – lawyers, developers and special interests doing business with the Town. With Council Districts, candidates will be elected not because of the money they raise, but because of what they do for the community. Town Council members will care more about the residents in their districts than the big money donors.
· Council Districts will open Town Hall to all residents and all communities. This year the Town Board took 598 votes and all 598 were unanimous. Where’s the debate? Where’s the discussion?
News12 Long Island endorsed Council Districts for Huntington and said, “Similar reforms in Hempstead, North Hempstead and Brookhaven demonstrate that the establishment of council districts brings representation closer to the people, and greater attention to their neighborhoods.” North Hempstead Councilwoman Maria-Christina Poons said, “No doubt about it, Council Districts work better.” Read more endorsements here.
Council Districts do not raise costs. For example, in Brookhaven, there has been no tax increase in the general fund since Council Districts. Hempstead Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby said, “Costs have not risen because of Council Districts. If anything, Council Districts have held down costs because we need to report back to our districts on spending.” Brookhaven Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld said, “Council Districts have not raised government costs. We have absolutely not raised taxes because of Council Districts. Anyone making that claim is spreading misinformation.”
Vote YES for the Ward System (Wards = Council Districts) on December 22.
Want to learn more, click here for our web site or our blog. Or attend a Community Meeting:
· Tuesday, December 15 at 7 p.m.: South Huntington Public Library.
· Wednesday, December 16 at 7 p.m. Huntington Public Library – Main Branch
· Thursday, December 17 at 7 p.m.: Northport Public Library
· Thursday, December 17 at 7 p.m.: NAACP Forum on Council Districts at the South Huntington Public Library
Amazing Barrage of Expensive Mailings By Opponents of Council Districts (Wards)
[originally transmitted 12/16/09]
Amazing Barrage of Expensive Mailings By Opponents of Council Districts (Wards)
Well, I have now received four separate mailings from the powers that are opposing an increase in proportional democratic representation in the way the four members of the Town Board, or Town Council, are selected.
As previously noted, the Supervisor would continue to be elected by all of the people of Huntington, as is appropriate for all Executives, while each Council member would represent about one-fourth of Huntington, in the same way that our County Legislators, and our State Assembly members, and our State Senators, and our National House of Representatives members, are selected and serve us.
So, these builders, and union heads, and lawyers, and present and former Town Board members, and other Town Hall hangers-on and favored insiders, don't want us to enjoy the same proportional representation benefits as we have with legislators at the County, and State, and National levels of government.
Now, think carefully about all of the money that these opponents are spending, on mailings alone, to homes throughout Huntington.
According to the 2000 Census, there were 65,917 households in the Town of Huntington.
The lowest price of a Presort Standard mailing would be 14 cents, and that would mean any mailing to all of the households in Huntington would cost at least $9,228 in postage alone. If you multiply that $9,228 by the four mailings (and perhaps there were one or more that I did not receive) that would mean at least $36,912 in postage alone. That's right, $36,912 in postage alone.
When you add in the cost of printing -- and while I have misplaced the first mailing, the second and third mailings were in glossy color, while the fourth mailing was a less expensive black & white on card stock -- you are probably talking about spending of around $100,000, just for the mailings, ignoring what they have spent on all of those lovely red signs that you see all around town.
Why is it worth it, for the builders, and union heads, and lawyers, and Town Board members and Town insiders, to spend all this money?
Of course, it seems like they are afraid they will lose something now readily accessible to them.
So, do you want to believe those spending all that money, who may be willing to distort facts as much as they are willing to spend big bucks?
I find their tactics troubling and deeply offensive, and their misrepresentations insulting to the intelligence of residents of the Town of Huntington.
On December 22nd, next Tuesday, we will see the following question in the referendum (at your usual polling place for Town, or County, or State, or Federal elections):
“Shall a ward system be established for the election of
councilmen/councilwomen in the Town of Huntington?”
Previous to this fourth expensive mailing by opponents, I had said only privately that I would vote be voting "yes" on the question, although my views were clear to any person carefully reading my analyses and noting my conclusions.
However, these big-money opponents of Council Districts (or Wards) have now struck a raw nerve, and I will now very publicly say that I will vote YES on the question.
I would urge others to think carefully about the opposition's tactics, and very big spending, and also vote YES on December 22nd.
Jerry Hannon
Amazing Barrage of Expensive Mailings By Opponents of Council Districts (Wards)
Well, I have now received four separate mailings from the powers that are opposing an increase in proportional democratic representation in the way the four members of the Town Board, or Town Council, are selected.
As previously noted, the Supervisor would continue to be elected by all of the people of Huntington, as is appropriate for all Executives, while each Council member would represent about one-fourth of Huntington, in the same way that our County Legislators, and our State Assembly members, and our State Senators, and our National House of Representatives members, are selected and serve us.
So, these builders, and union heads, and lawyers, and present and former Town Board members, and other Town Hall hangers-on and favored insiders, don't want us to enjoy the same proportional representation benefits as we have with legislators at the County, and State, and National levels of government.
Now, think carefully about all of the money that these opponents are spending, on mailings alone, to homes throughout Huntington.
According to the 2000 Census, there were 65,917 households in the Town of Huntington.
The lowest price of a Presort Standard mailing would be 14 cents, and that would mean any mailing to all of the households in Huntington would cost at least $9,228 in postage alone. If you multiply that $9,228 by the four mailings (and perhaps there were one or more that I did not receive) that would mean at least $36,912 in postage alone. That's right, $36,912 in postage alone.
When you add in the cost of printing -- and while I have misplaced the first mailing, the second and third mailings were in glossy color, while the fourth mailing was a less expensive black & white on card stock -- you are probably talking about spending of around $100,000, just for the mailings, ignoring what they have spent on all of those lovely red signs that you see all around town.
Why is it worth it, for the builders, and union heads, and lawyers, and Town Board members and Town insiders, to spend all this money?
Of course, it seems like they are afraid they will lose something now readily accessible to them.
So, do you want to believe those spending all that money, who may be willing to distort facts as much as they are willing to spend big bucks?
I find their tactics troubling and deeply offensive, and their misrepresentations insulting to the intelligence of residents of the Town of Huntington.
On December 22nd, next Tuesday, we will see the following question in the referendum (at your usual polling place for Town, or County, or State, or Federal elections):
“Shall a ward system be established for the election of
councilmen/councilwomen in the Town of Huntington?”
Previous to this fourth expensive mailing by opponents, I had said only privately that I would vote be voting "yes" on the question, although my views were clear to any person carefully reading my analyses and noting my conclusions.
However, these big-money opponents of Council Districts (or Wards) have now struck a raw nerve, and I will now very publicly say that I will vote YES on the question.
I would urge others to think carefully about the opposition's tactics, and very big spending, and also vote YES on December 22nd.
Jerry Hannon
December 22nd is an Important Date for Huntington
[originally transmitted 11/24/09]
December 22nd is an Important Date for Huntington
Political life in the Town of Huntington is getting, as Alice of Wonderland fame might say, “curiouser and curiouser.”
Most residents are aware that the Town Board has, for the past several years, been requested -- and finally petitioned -- to place before the voters a referendum to determine whether we should adopt the district system, or councilmanic districts or ward system, of representation on our Town Board (or Town Council), or whether we should instead continue to have At-large seats.
The Town Board persistently stonewalled those groups, claiming it was not in the best interests of all residents, rather than taking the bold and democratic step to let the people decide.
So, finally, the group requesting the referendum collected enough signatures to survive the expected challenges from the Town Board (as the Town Board had been able to successfully challenge enough signatures on a lesser petition drive two or so years ago), and then the Town Board had the gall to suggest the process to be flawed and designed to evade scheduling a vote on Election Day, since the vote would take place in late December, rather than on the normal Election Day in November.
Now, let me get this straight. The Town Board had the power, all along, to schedule a referendum, but didn’t, and now they want to criticize petitioners who took that route after continual Town Board stonewalling of requests by people asking for a referendum, but it is somehow backhanded or cynical on the part of the requesters who became petitioners??????
As an old television personality used to say, “What’s wrong with this picture?”
What makes this even more of a bizarre, but troubling, experience is that it is now obvious that the biggest community in the Town of Huntington, which has had a disproportionate influence over Town Board activities for many years, has now publicly made it clear that they oppose councilmanic districts for the Town of Huntington.
After I was sent a link to a Nov 16th resolution of the Half Hollow Hills (HHH) Board of Education, and read their expressed opposition to a political step (which I personally find a questionable tactic for a BOE), and when I saw how HHH residents were inflamed to attend the meeting in a predisposed mindset fashion, I asked an old friend from HHH who is active in their school district and in their community, what was their rationale?
I was surprised, but gratified by the honesty of this person, to hear so blatant a rationale for the BOE vote that any reasonable person would have to regard it as pure power politics.
In my summary message, forwarding the HHH Board resolution to those concerned with what our own school district might or might not do, on any number of issues in the Town, I noted: “Their fear is that they would be split into two different councilmanic districts (I agree with that assessment, given the size and shape of HHH) and that they would therefore have less impact on the Town Board than they are able to achieve as one voting bloc.”
Now, that was merely one HHH resident’s perspective, but when I read the November 19th edition of The Long-Islander, with three related articles on page A6 with following sections on page A29, it was obvious that this HHH resident’s candor was matched by the content of the articles in The Long-Islander. If you do not have that paper, it should be available at our local library.
So, if you are now a political powerhouse in the Town of Huntington, and since HHH is the largest school district among all eight in the Town that power and influence is irrefutable, even without the candor related to their BOE discussion and vote on Nov 16th, you apparently choose to oppose allowing smaller communities to have more of a voice.
HHH are the largest single voting bloc in the Town, so they have a disproportionate influence over our Town Board with the current At-large system of election. And we, with the second smallest school district (by student population), have the second least influence over the Town Board with the current At-large system.
Now, to be clear about this, the Supervisor would continue to be elected by the entire Town, and that is perfectly appropriate, just as the County Executive is elected by all residents in Suffolk County, and just as the Governor is elected by all residents in the State of New York, and just as the President is elected by all residents of the United States of America.
The County Legislature uses a district system.
The State Assembly uses a district system.
The House of Representatives uses a district system.
Why not have the same kind of system for the four non-Supervisor members of the Town Board of Huntington?
Please circle December 22nd on your calendar, and please exercise your right to vote on this issue.
Jerry Hannon
December 22nd is an Important Date for Huntington
Political life in the Town of Huntington is getting, as Alice of Wonderland fame might say, “curiouser and curiouser.”
Most residents are aware that the Town Board has, for the past several years, been requested -- and finally petitioned -- to place before the voters a referendum to determine whether we should adopt the district system, or councilmanic districts or ward system, of representation on our Town Board (or Town Council), or whether we should instead continue to have At-large seats.
The Town Board persistently stonewalled those groups, claiming it was not in the best interests of all residents, rather than taking the bold and democratic step to let the people decide.
So, finally, the group requesting the referendum collected enough signatures to survive the expected challenges from the Town Board (as the Town Board had been able to successfully challenge enough signatures on a lesser petition drive two or so years ago), and then the Town Board had the gall to suggest the process to be flawed and designed to evade scheduling a vote on Election Day, since the vote would take place in late December, rather than on the normal Election Day in November.
Now, let me get this straight. The Town Board had the power, all along, to schedule a referendum, but didn’t, and now they want to criticize petitioners who took that route after continual Town Board stonewalling of requests by people asking for a referendum, but it is somehow backhanded or cynical on the part of the requesters who became petitioners??????
As an old television personality used to say, “What’s wrong with this picture?”
What makes this even more of a bizarre, but troubling, experience is that it is now obvious that the biggest community in the Town of Huntington, which has had a disproportionate influence over Town Board activities for many years, has now publicly made it clear that they oppose councilmanic districts for the Town of Huntington.
After I was sent a link to a Nov 16th resolution of the Half Hollow Hills (HHH) Board of Education, and read their expressed opposition to a political step (which I personally find a questionable tactic for a BOE), and when I saw how HHH residents were inflamed to attend the meeting in a predisposed mindset fashion, I asked an old friend from HHH who is active in their school district and in their community, what was their rationale?
I was surprised, but gratified by the honesty of this person, to hear so blatant a rationale for the BOE vote that any reasonable person would have to regard it as pure power politics.
In my summary message, forwarding the HHH Board resolution to those concerned with what our own school district might or might not do, on any number of issues in the Town, I noted: “Their fear is that they would be split into two different councilmanic districts (I agree with that assessment, given the size and shape of HHH) and that they would therefore have less impact on the Town Board than they are able to achieve as one voting bloc.”
Now, that was merely one HHH resident’s perspective, but when I read the November 19th edition of The Long-Islander, with three related articles on page A6 with following sections on page A29, it was obvious that this HHH resident’s candor was matched by the content of the articles in The Long-Islander. If you do not have that paper, it should be available at our local library.
So, if you are now a political powerhouse in the Town of Huntington, and since HHH is the largest school district among all eight in the Town that power and influence is irrefutable, even without the candor related to their BOE discussion and vote on Nov 16th, you apparently choose to oppose allowing smaller communities to have more of a voice.
HHH are the largest single voting bloc in the Town, so they have a disproportionate influence over our Town Board with the current At-large system of election. And we, with the second smallest school district (by student population), have the second least influence over the Town Board with the current At-large system.
Now, to be clear about this, the Supervisor would continue to be elected by the entire Town, and that is perfectly appropriate, just as the County Executive is elected by all residents in Suffolk County, and just as the Governor is elected by all residents in the State of New York, and just as the President is elected by all residents of the United States of America.
The County Legislature uses a district system.
The State Assembly uses a district system.
The House of Representatives uses a district system.
Why not have the same kind of system for the four non-Supervisor members of the Town Board of Huntington?
Please circle December 22nd on your calendar, and please exercise your right to vote on this issue.
Jerry Hannon
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