VOTE

Tomorrow marks school board elections in my community, which will be the culmination of weeks of sniping back and forth between the two "sides" represented in this battle.

Sadly, one side has taken normal election-season back and forth to a completely different level.

I posted below about the anti-Orthodox ads published in local papers. Said newspaper was, to their credit, quick to publish an apology and explanation for their decision to accept the ads for publication. Our local elected officials rushed to condemn the hateful, dishonest and divisive tone of the ads in no uncertain terms. Yet have we heard anything in apology or condemnation from the candidates who put out the ads? Does anyone else hear crickets (ok, crickets - and Pamela Greenbaum trying to make the idiotic case that it's those who are most offended by the ads who are somehow the ones playing the religion card - as opposed to the bigots who put the ads out in the first place)?

I had not originally planned to endorse specific candidates in advance of tomorrow's election, but the manner in which some of the candidates have behaved in recent weeks leaves me no choice.

I do not believe that candidates who endorse bigotry and dishonesty in their election materials deserve to be making decisions about our children's education.

I do not believe that electing candidates to office who make every attempt throughout an election to further drive a wedge between the already warring factions in this community is the answer to bringing this community together.

I do not believe a candidate who sues over criticism of her policies instead of defending those policies deserves to be in public office.

I do not think a candidate who angrily screams and yells at others and cannot control his emotions and outbursts at public meetings is an appropriate candidate to be elected as a public official.

I do not think a first-time candidate who is unable to answer simple questions on candidate's night about how, if elected, she plans to run this troubled, underperforming district, is qualified to be a candidate.

I do not think that candidates who are so tied up to a teacher's union that their campaign literature is sent out under the teacher's union cover are considering the needs of the district children first and foremost.

I do not think that candidates who, simply to be contrary, endorse voting "NO" to the budget that has a chance of getting this district out of the dreaded cycle of austerity deserve to be in charge of our children's education.

I will not vote for bigotry and divisiveness tomorrow. I will not vote for fiscal irresponsibility tomorrow. I will not vote for obnoxious campaign rhetoric tomorrow. I will not vote for dishonesty tomorrow.

I will vote for candidates who have pledged throughout their campaign to work for the benefit of ALL district children. I will vote for candidates whose campaign literature was inclusive instead of exclusive. I will vote for candidates who did not spend their campaign taking cheap and petty shots at the opposition's community and religious group.

Tomorrow I will be voting for:

Nahum Marcus
Sol Blisko
David Sussman

I will be voting YES on the budget in hopes that we can get this district out of this cycle of austerity.

I will be voting YES on pre-K busing to ensure that this service is provided to ALL district children equitably.

I urge everyone who cares about the state of our community and who yearns for amity instead of the enmity we have seen in recent years to vote the same.

Each and every resident of SD15 MUST vote. In elections such as these, every vote DOES count. In past years, elections have been decided by a margin of very few votes - that vote could be yours.

(Stepping off my soapbox - at least until my next post...)