Here is a letter I submitted to the Smithville Herald editor this morning. Please take a minute to read. Its possible Im inadvertently calling out some of my friends. If so, sorry. What Kind of Community Do We Want? In early September Smithville Power of One Committee Chairperson Michelle Kruse received a call from a concerned Smithville citizen. He has some problems with the November 4 ballot issue asking residents to support our schools and our community. If this ballot issue passes, it will ensure the schools in the Smithville District will receive needed upgrades for security, vitally important repairs and an additional elementary school to support a rapidly growing number of students. As you evaluate your decision, it’s important to distinguish local needs from national politics. This is a difficult decision for many of us. Our state and national political landscape is a mess, our economy is not rebounding rapidly and politicians in our national and state capitals support personal agendas. I am on board with these concerns and I personally choose to support candidates who I believe will at least attempt to bring our federal government under some semblance of control. I hear you. However, we can’t let our attitude about the federal government kill our local community. Voting no on much needed space for the schools, the heart of our community, is short-sighted and harmful to our long-term quality of life in this community. Besides, even with this tax levy, Smithville will still have among the lowest tax rates in the Kansas City Metro. The simplest fact to grasp is that Smithville has grown because it is a great community. That comes with some growing pains and yes, it will impact us financially at times. But we have the power to manage that and we have the responsibility as citizens, tax payers and voters to do so. The U.S. Department of Education states clearly that overcrowded schools are most closely associated with inner city schools. I personally do not want to see that here. Is that really the future we want for our children and grandchildren? Even if you don’t have children, is that the type of community you want to live in? The gentleman who called Michelle and expressed his displeasure with the proposed tax levy suggested the following: cut the current budget to pay for the building, cut staff, trim teacher salaries, turn off the air conditioning, turn down the heat, cut all athletics, eliminate busing, quit wasting money by buying computers, etc... then we could afford to build an additional building. I guess these are all ideas that could solve the budget shortfalls, and he did fantastic job of painting the future Smithville with no community support. But is that really the quality of life we want here? Do we want a community with no unity, no pride, no reason for optimism? Is that really showing the burdensome federal government that we know how to take care of ourselves? If you believe that is hyperbole, take a look at what has happened recently in the Kansas City School District where the state stepped in to manage their schools because the community couldn’t handle the management of the schools properly. I don’t want to live in Kansas City, that’s why my wife and I chose Smithville as the hometown for our three daughters. I don’t want them put at a disadvantage throughout life because we chose a community that refused to support the basic needs of a good and decent community. It’s your choice, Smithville. Please vote yes on November 4. Sincerely, Greg Vincent Smithville Father of 3
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 14:00:34 +0000
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