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From:
Category: General Discussion
Date: 01 Feb 2003
Time: 14:44:32 -0500
Remote Name: 12.251.130.11
"I would like to know what synergy is being built on the total DeKalb/Sycamore area (as Deming said, "management by positive cooperation" [cooperation win:win] as opposed to "management by conflict" [conflict win:lose])."
Sadly, it is management by conflict.
The Referendum III, like most sequels, is a continuation of the same old plot. Taxspenders, true to their name, need more revenue to spend. To taxpayers, stuck with their name, the word revenue as defined by taxspenders, is a dichotomy. Revenue to a taxspender is cost to a taxpayer.
Referendum I, starring $60 million, was brought to us, at our expense, by Hoffman Architects. I’d never heard of them before but they must have been highly touted. They were so confident of their success that they mass mailed a postcard invitation to many other school districts wanting to get a referendum passed to come to their booth at a tradeshow. The post card featured a photograph of Dr. Brian Ali, identified as Superintendent of District #428 with the following quote (paraphrased): “I strongly recommend Hoffman Architects. They came in on time and under budget.”
I guess they did come in under the proposed $60 million budget because Referendum I failed by a landslide. The plot? Whip up hysteria about growth even though in the decade of the 90s DeKalb was the third slowest growing community within 20 miles of its borders. A growth rate of just over 11% is in line with normal procreation. The villain? New residential construction. It’s easy to see rooftops being built.
Referendum II had to find a new star because it was obvious that voters didn’t like the old one. Taxpayers got to pay for an official telephone survey to ask them how much more money they wanted to spend. A new star was born, her name was Just Under $40 million.
The first sequel was directed by an all volunteer 36-member ad hoc committee who were not really given many options that did not include spending money and then thrown to the wolves with little support from the highly paid school administration. Accountability is like kryptonite to a professional taxspender. Better to pass that buck to good hearted citizens fed a steady dose of Fear Growth Factor.
Talk growth. Blame growth. Limit growth. Do not address such politically incorrect issues such as Title IX, conversion of older neighborhoods into higher student densities, the increasing number of economically-challenged families in the community. And pay no attention to the struggling U.S. economy who’s only bright spot was new residential construction. In DeKalb, after all, the absolute Giant of Employer is The Government. A slowdown of growth, especially if that helped get a referendum passed, would not make any difference at all in their paychecks.
Referendum II was also a failure at the Box Office but another sequel has already been launched.
Twelve members of the ad hoc committee were evidently eaten by the wolves. Now there are 24. Just Under $40 million was retained as the star of The Referendum III. There was an adjustment made to the wardrobe of Just Under $40 million. Air conditioning will be added to DeKalb High School, maybe to cool off tempers of those teachers still upset with the bungled firing of a football coach. The hope is that those teachers will show up in droves at the polling booths.
I guess the taxpayers shouldn’t mind paying for air conditioning if it means the taxspenders get to flirt with Just Under $40 million. She must be a sexy chick.
Referendum III will not fail at the Box Office due to lack of promotion. Somewhere around $50,000 has been collected to use for advertising and getting the YES vote out. The mayor’s own campaign manager and other hired guns have been contracted for their expertise.
Stay tuned. The conclusion of the Referendum Triology is nearing its end. One side or the other is going to be very disappointed.