What could we have done?

It is a little early for this question as the tally will not be available until sometime between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM tonight.

What could we have done?

I think the information was generated and made a better penetration (i.e. acceptance) than for the more recent overrides. A large turnout seems likely.

There is still a major negative factor out there. They are focused on a pie in the sky yesterday and not the realities of today. The one theme that seems to drive this negativism is a lack of trust in the Town Administration. I have come across this theme in multiple conversations.

I think the lack of trust comes from two factors:

• Previous overrides primarily occurred before the budget was finalized
• Money from the Stabilization fund was used to balance the budget to avoid major disastrous cuts.

The response to these two factors is:

• The budget was finalized with the vote on May 3rd. There are no further changes to be made.
• The Stabilization fund has been drawn down from its initial $11 million amount to currently $3 million if the override passes ($2 million if it fails). There is no additional money to be "found".

The Town Administration, including the Town Council and School Committee have work cut out for them to rebuild the trust. It won't be easy. Speaking fully, truthfully and consistently will over time rebuild the trust.


PS - this current administration, council and committee have spoken truthfully for what I have observed over the past couple of months.