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