This time a month from now will be the day after our municipal elections. At the risk of provoking an eye-roll from you because I will not be changing the subject anytime soon, let me suggest now is the time for some form of public interaction between and among those seeking seats on both the Board of Education and our City Council. My mom used to say if you don't ask you don't get; fair enough. I'm asking. How about debates and the more of them, the better and soon.
I don't mean to hector or lecture (but am willing to do both), there was an opinion piece in The Bulletin from Mayor Nystrom three Sundays ago on why a Republican majority is needed to keep spending in check which prompted a response from Alderman DeLucia Sunday a week ago about how a Democratic majority is necessary to deliver an honest budget. This past Sunday was a letter to the editor supporting a vote for Republicans but (stop me (I dare you) if you've guessed this already) I won't be surprised if we see a letter supporting Democrats next Sunday. Sorry, but that's not good enough.
In a city with an operating budget just a shade under one hundred and thirty-nine million (with an M) dollars, and an education budget at just north of eighty-one million dollars, there's too much at stake in the here and now, to say nothing of our future to allow the elections for the city council and board of education to happen with so little public discussion and debate about how the next chapter of our story should be written.
I've noted before, it's not my place to suggest for whom you vote (and it's none of my business) but historically, we clock in at less than half of all registered voters showing up at the polls for municipal elections and not having any real sense of the issues, costs and returns on investment facing us in terms of infrastructure, education, public safety (just to tick three of the Big Ticket items in any budget), to say nothing of the positions of those who've volunteered to serve in city government how can, or should, we decide whom we should support?
Start working on your questions now, I have a list as long as my arm and, say some, as big as my mouth (that stings but it's a fair point). Here’s some of what I would ask:
What do you see as the three greatest opportunities and three greatest challenges facing Norwich and what knowledge, skills, and abilities do you offer to help us succeed?
If elected, how would you integrate your talents and intentions with those of everyone else we choose on November 5th?
When I got here in 1991, the City Council and the Board of Education were already pointing at one another as the 'the bad guys' for funding gaps for the Norwich Public Schools while pledging to work together 'going forward.' Almost thirty years on, but not forward, we're still nowhere near a framework in effectively providing the quality 21st Century education knowledge and skills delivered in an economically efficient manner our children will need to succeed in the world we are leaving them.
What do you see as your role in enhancing our community's quality of life and in spurring economic development that attracts businesses and families to make Norwich their home, too? And how would you help create the environment that allows and encourages that growth?
What lessons have you learned from our past efforts and how do you apply them to what you see as the next chapter of the Norwich story?
People prefer problems that are familiar to solutions which are not. How would you move us from continuously talking about our challenges to mobilizing to roll up our sleeves and developing solutions?
And lastly: When can you start?
-bill kenny
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