I saw that the publishers of the Town Press were going to have a meeting of the residents of Speedway who felt disenfranchised. I applaud it! Good for them! Regrettably, it turned into the kind of backbiting that tends to undermine any sense of neighborhood solidarity and has ultimately been cancelled.
UPDATE: I understand that the meeting was held and had enthusiastic turnout.
For shame.
I take no position as to the accusations being hurled among various parties surrounding this meeting. However, I would note that for those who feel disenfranchised, you still have a vote and Speedway, like the rest of the country, is run on democratic (small "d") principles.
The problem is that this is a one-party town. I don't know for sure, but I've been told that no non-Republican has ever been elected to the Town Council. As I've said, I don't know about that. What I do know is that the Republican Party (like all political parties) is a private organization that does not have to answer to anyone but its members. I also know that the Republican party does not have a primary for its Speedway Town Council candidates . . . I believe they are slated by the party.
So, what we have is a town that does not elect anything but Republicans, and a Republican party that selects its candidates based on its own inside criteria, not any sense of the popular will of the Town.
Sounds like a recipe for disenfranchisement if I've ever seen one.
You hit the nail on the head , Mr Maiers ! It's a sad state of affairs and has been for a long long time . May I also add , the school system is Gerry rigged from within also by the appointment of the school board by the town council .
ReplyDeleteIf that isn't messed up I don't know what is .
Just so you know Mr. Maiers there was a lot of nastiness being bantered about and whined about on Nextdoor (Sour Grapes) and all but the meeting did indeed go on with over 30 people coming and a very good beginning was made to a very old problem. I appreciated how everyone that wanted to had a chance to voice their concerns and speak. Also, a steering committee was beginning and there are more meetings planned for the up coming weeks and months. The owners of The Press have appointments to speak with the Speedway Town Manager and The SRC Director soon. I would think you would make a very good councilman Mr. Maiers, regardless of your party.
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