Fisher & Berg on the Referenda

Mary H. Fisher, "Tax Worries Didn't Justify a No Vote" and Rick Berg, "Taxpayers made rational choice with 'no' votes on referendums":

Dear Editor: As a grandmother/senior citizen, I feel very sad that the "yes" vote did not win for the children. It makes me more sad that these same people would think nothing of signing a loan for the big white elephant known as the Overture Center for $25 million and that it is just wonderful.

And I do believe the majority of the "no" voters are seniors. They should be ashamed. It gets really disgusting to hear that all of these seniors are going to be taxed right out of their homes - so be it. That does not mean that the children should not have a decent classroom to study and learn in or that we should not be able to maintain all of the teachers and programs that we enjoyed and all generations have since.

Now is not the time to let our schools and education take a back seat to anything or anyone. Education should have top priority, with affordable health care coming in a very close second.

Mary H. Fisher
Madison

By Rick Berg
June 1, 2005

When a very small group of concerned citizens sat down to organize the Vote No for Change effort, one simple principle, more than any other, guided our thinking: Give the people the truth, the freedom to discuss it and then trust in their judgment.

By respecting the ability of district voters to make intelligent and informed decisions, Vote No for Change prevailed on two out of three school referendum questions last week and nearly pulled off the electoral trifecta.

We asked voters to vote no for change and they did.

But the victory didn't come easy.

• We were up against two of the most powerful, effective and well-financed unions in the state, MTI and WEAC, and knew we would be outspent by at least 8-to-1 in a David vs. Goliath struggle.

• Nearly all media endorsements supported "yes" votes on the questions.

• Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz (who sent pro-referendim mail and calls to thousands of voters) and a gaggle of ex-mayors supported higher property taxes by urging a yes vote on all three questions.

Ditto for County Executive Kathleen Falk and former County Exec Rick Phelps, who spent some of their own reputation on trying to shore up the crumbling credibility of the Madison School Board. Send your refund requests to Art Rainwater and Bill Keys.

That's a lot of political firepower aimed at a small, determined group of ordinary citizens.

Yet our message, for the most part, prevailed with the voters. Why?

• Voters understood that increasing operational spending at twice the rate of inflation over the past 10 years, while district student enrollment fell by 162 and staff numbers soared by 655, was not prudent management of taxpayer resources, and it really doesn't matter where that taxpayer money comes from. Of course, the last-minute ballot blunder by the board/district that cost taxpayers another $50,000 only helped to reinforce our message.

• Voters agreed with the premise that we can have good schools and we can value good teachers ... but at an affordable price. And voters were smart enough to know that more money does NOT equal more quality. The days of business as usual in Madison have come to an end.

• Voters painfully understand what we were saying about the decreasing affordability of housing in Madison and that too many residents were being pushed to the breaking point or being forced to flee Madison for more affordable suburban housing. At least two School Board members have suggested the answer to this problem for Madison homeowners is a second mortgage or reverse mortgage. Next time you run into a member of the Madison School Board, say "I voted no on turning my house equity over to you!"

• Madison CARES spokesperson Beth Zurbuchen helped crystallize the arrogance of district leadership and the naked contempt many of them feel for the regular folks who pay the bill when she suggested that those who don't have kids in the schools (about 75 percent of district residents) shouldn't have a say in how their tax dollars are spent. Sit down, shut up and hand over the cash! Thanks, Beth!

• An unusually aggressive electronic media worked hard to get information into the hands of voters. Kudos to them!

• Voters paid attention, considered the facts and made the effort to get out to vote.

Everyone connected with Vote No for Change knows Madison schools have problems that need to be addressed. We also know that there may not be agreement on answers to those problems, but we stand ready to be productive participants in a new dialogue about spending, accountability, prudent management and doing whatever we can to maintain and enhance the quality of education and Madison schools.

It would be a serious mistake to construe the results of the referendums as a repudiation of quality education in Madison or as a vote against children. It was neither.

Voters sent an affirmative message in favor of accountability, reasonable (and generous) spending on public schools, and for better management in the Madison School District. There is a big difference between being generous with school spending and being extravagant. Voters sent that message to the Madison School Board. We will now see if the board heard the message and takes it to heart.

On a day when two out of three school spending referendum questions go down to defeat by fairly substantial margins, the rest of the state can't help but pay attention to the fact that voters, even in ultraliberal Madison, will still respond to clear, reasonable and sensible messages about runaway spending and taxation. Kudos to the voters!

Rick Berg was a leader of the Vote No for Change group that opposed last week's Madison school referendums.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 2, 2005 6:58 AM
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