| You elect your local trustees, be they for your | | | | few high-priced attorneys and city planners. They |
| village, your schools or your library. For most people, | | | | attempted to give the village board a different |
| the closest contact they ever have with their elected | | | | perspective about the annexation than what the |
| officials is at the ballot box. Maybe you saw an ad on | | | | board was hearing from the developer the Village |
| a neighbor's lawn and the picture looked good, so | | | | President and the Zoning Board President. |
| you voted for that candidate. Or maybe you actually | | | | This was a beautiful thing to watch. Fifty or so village |
| do know the candidate personally and you like him | | | | residents filled the meeting room and they were |
| her. So you check the box to vote him/her into | | | | allowed to express their opinions. The result was that |
| office. | | | | the board voted to delay their decision until |
| I happen to be an elected member of the Nippersink | | | | September so that they might be allowed to review |
| Library District board of trustees. The reason I am | | | | the information that was presented. |
| there is that I've always loved my local library; I've | | | | At first I was elated. Then reality set in. I began to |
| always found it to be a warm place (or cool in the | | | | realize that to fight power you need power. Money |
| summer) where I can pick up the local newspaper | | | | equals power. What if Rommy Lopat and John |
| and read it - relatively undisturbed. Or I can peruse | | | | Drummond could not afford to bring in expert |
| the latest novels. I can also borrow DVD's and audio | | | | witnesses? I think the citizens would have been |
| books to keep me company when I'm in my car. And | | | | quickly rolled over and buried. This is the way, I |
| I felt that I needed to become involved in my | | | | realized, that government works. You must have |
| community. I'm always amazed at the number of | | | | power to be heard. |
| different things you can do at the library. So I ran for | | | | The awful truth is that I leave the meetings feeling |
| the office and won (unopposed, I should add). | | | | that we had just done battle with the opposition. We |
| I have also attended village and school board | | | | always lost. I felt that the outcome was |
| meetings. But that was always when I had a burning | | | | predetermined, that the board attitude is a bit |
| opinion to relay to the boards. For instance, in 1999 | | | | condescending. I do believe that, generally, boards |
| the village of Richmond was scheduled to vote on | | | | feel they have a duty to the public to help the public, |
| whether a parcel of land next to my property should | | | | but I think they also think that we citizens are |
| be annexed and rezoned. I was against it. So were a | | | | uneducated and bothersome, like mosquitoes which |
| whole bunch of other citizens in Richmond who | | | | must be squashed to be quieted. |
| attended that meeting. The village board passed the | | | | Maybe your local boards DO listen to you. Maybe |
| annexation over our objections, or, it seemed to me, | | | | Richmond's boards are the rare exception. But I think |
| to spite our objections.` | | | | not. I think that most boards around the entire |
| I had similar experiences with our school boards. No | | | | country reflect the attitudes of the Richmond boards: |
| matter how many people showed up for a particular | | | | the citizens are nuisances to be endured because the |
| meeting, we always felt that the school board | | | | law says they must endure us. |
| trustees turned a deaf ear on our appeals. Or as the | | | | Why are the boards so adversarial in nature? Does it |
| grade school superintendent said, "We agree to | | | | have to be that way? Do we not, as taxpaying |
| disagree!" Well, hot damn! | | | | citizens, deserve to be listened to CAREFULLY and |
| Earlier this month (July 2002) the Richmond Zoning | | | | HONESTLY? |
| Board agreed to recommend the annexation and | | | | It's time to stand up and be counted, folks. Do go to |
| rezoning of a hotly contested piece of property to | | | | your local board meetings, if only to show them that |
| the village board. Two citizens, Rommy Lopat and | | | | you are watching! |
| John Drummond, took it upon themselves to hire a | | | | |