THERE IS NO TWO PARTY SYSTEM!
There is no election!
Currier and Ives
Print - Library of Congress
The Woodbury Democratic Party, which has for years selected
and successfully run candidates for the first selectman
office, have decided that it is easier to sit back at
election time and do nothing but gobble up the minority
seats available by law as they have in the past two elections
and this one. It sure looks like their support for Mr.
Crane's administration is again being done to preserve
their guaranteed and uncontested minority seats on all
commissions and boards.
The Democrat party's Chairman, Cynthia Boudreau, and
their long time representative on the Board of Finance,
Jane C. Devries, saw nothing wrong with Mr. Crane and
his selection of Mr. Bartlett as his running mate. They
say, "If the system isn't broken, it doesn't need fixing."
I don't understand why the Democratic Party would put
all their efforts "into promoting Paul Hinckley, running
for the Board of Selectman and the rest of their slate",
when none of them can lose. Am I missing something? Is
this a senior moment?
What is really amazing is the glowing support for Mr.
Crane's guidance and control of the tax polices and expenders
of this town.
Let's take, for example, a town meeting one night called
by the selectman. On June 28, 2001, at 7:30 p.m., one
hundred and seventy seven voters turned out (the largest
turnout for a Town Budget meeting in years).
The selectmen at this meeting were coming back to the
public for the second time to get their budget passed.
Their budget was turned down the previous month when a
petition forced them to go to machine vote so that all
voters had a chance to participate.
On numerous occasions, Mr. Crane was asked to go to a
machine vote, not a hand vote at night, so that all handicapped
residents, working women and men, housewives, students,
people who were going to be out of town and could not
receive an absentee ballot, and most of all the elderly
(of which many can not drive or walk at night), could
have their right to vote.
Remember the other two selectmen, Democrat Mr. Hinkley
and Republican Mr. Cowles? Well, they didn't think that
all the voters ought to have that right to vote either
and they refused to call for a machine vote. We blame
Mr. Crane, but here also were two selectmen votes that
could have put the budget to a machine vote and it didn't
happen!
The town meeting opens and then Mr. Bartlett (the Republican
Town Committee's selection for Second Selectman and current
Chairman of the Board of Finance) announces that we will
have a budget passed tonight even if we have to keep the
meeting going to 12:00 midnight. No, he didn't say 2,400
hours. It was very clear that his goals, his insensitivity
and his tact were out of line for many of the older taxpayers
that could not stay until midnight.
The bottom line was that 177 votes were cast on the first
ballot, 90 for the budget and 87 against the budget. The
math is easy, 3 votes approved a TWENTY MILLION-DOLLAR
budget, and the Democratic Party still doesn't think there
is a problem?
The Democrats cheered because their Republican-controlled
Board did win that night, and all the Democrats could
say, "I'm part of this insensitive administration." Gee,
I guess that I'm confused. I thought we had two political
parties in town! I have been wondering why there are many
more Independent voters than Democrats, maybe they haven't
been confused?
Yes, Jane DeVries is right. I am confused. But you know
I'm also embarrassed and ashamed that our two political
parties have destroyed our two party system. Shame on
all of us if this is the best we can do for our town,
our government and our children!
- Duncan McDougall
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