Though I doubt it was meant as such, I’m betting that the St. Cloud Times Our View editorial is a wakeup call to taxpayers. That’s certainly the intent of this post. The Times’ Editorial Board laments the fact that “there are no yard signs, no visible campaigning, and really not much buzz about the plan.” Then it highlights the “good news” that “the group has experienced leaders and its website, http://www.voteyes742.org/index.php, contains ample information about the history of Tech, the need to upgrade it and Apollo, and how to vote” before returning to lamenting that few people know about this website before the Times’ editorial.
Perhaps that’s their strategy.
The Times is right. The “group has experienced leaders” who’ve led the fight for other levy increases. Rest assured that everyone in the ‘education community’ a) knows about this referendum, b) can recite with great fluency the virtues of voting yes and c) can’t wait to start voting. Those “experienced leaders” have already counted the education community’s votes.
It’s foolish to think that this “experienced leaders” is running an under-the-radar campaign because this is a terrific deal for St. Cloud. If this deal was that important and that well thought out, these “experienced leaders” would’ve canvassed St. Cloud at least 3-4 times.
It isn’t a stretch to think that the education community doesn’t want a high turnout amongst regular taxpayers because they’re afraid that regular taxpayers are fed up with all of the tax increases that they’ve been hit with the last 2-3 year. Perhaps the education community is afraid that regular taxpayers are upset that they haven’t seen a meaningful pay raise in 5 years or more. Meanwhile, under Gov. Dayton and the DFL, government spending has skyrocketed.
The state budget has seen major increases while families have struggled. Gov. Dayton and the DFL isn’t on the ballot this November. Still, it’s a great time to send them a signal that taxpayers are fed up with the DFL’s spending increases and Gov. Dayton’s tax increases.
Gary - I am one of those fed up taxpayers. St.Cloud is not the Federal Reserve that can provide us with a stack of fresh fiat money to pay for a new school. Whitney Center for senior citizens is in the red. The Paramont theater is in the red. The airport is dead and in the red.
The new aquatics center maybe in the red before it’s even built! Taxpayer base is leaving the city. 75% of houses have no children going to 742 yet they would be asked to support the rest who attend. The foundation of our city is, at present, not the healthiest; let’s not weaken it more.
Dave, I know you well enough to know that you’re doing all you can to defeat this levy referendum. Still, let’s keep pushing the ‘vote no’ through until Election Day.
Where do we get “Vote No” signs at?