Letter to the Editor: Nov. 8 Referendum—Vote YES for Democracy
October 28, 2011
by Penny Vane
It’s great to see so much discussion going on about the referendum, and I thank NCNow for providing the forum for it. However, as a member of the committee that launched the Representation Referendum process, I’m concerned about the tonality of some of the comments and the ensuing misinterpretations they engender.
First, the referendum is not about Chappaqua vs. Millwood, and both opponents and advocates do a disservice to the larger intent of the referendum when they allow the discussion to devolve to that level. Opponents cite worries that a district representation system would create divisiveness, while it is evident from the commentary on articles and letters at NCNow that alienation between districts already exists.
Instead, we believe that the district representation system (much like our state and federal governing bodies which allow for democratic representation by district) would actually serve to better unite us as a town, by ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table. Our elected senators and congresspeople know they must serve their constituencies within the context of the greater good of the state or the country at large, and I think we can safely assume that any elected residents of New Castle would be equally responsible to rise above their own neighborhood’s parochial concerns. And yet, the very fact that so many residents of New Castle feel that their neighborhood concerns have never even been heard, proves that the current at-large system is inadequately providing equal representation.
That said, bear in mind that the Representation Referendum was initiated with a much “Bigger Picture” in mind. The intent was to research and source a governing structure that would:
• Encourage greater participation from more members of our community;
• Enable more tasks to be accomplished and more issues addressed;
• Facilitate greater transparency by breaking down barriers between “in group” and “fringe” neighborhoods; and
• Foster a more inclusive approach to governance;
• All of which would in turn enable our elected representatives to give as much attention to better long-term planning as to putting out fires and finding short-term fixes.
Months of research and interviews led us to recommend the district representation system, and then to initiate the referendum process. In the process, our citizens committee has been adamantly careful not to point fingers, place blame or indulge in negative attacks or lists of criticisms of our current system or representatives, which would inevitably become tit-for-tat squabbling about minutiae and detract from the larger issues at hand.
Second, many of the criticisms of the district representation system have been narrowly focused on either inaccurate analysis of the process or a mere reluctance to change the status quo. For example:
• While it’s true that all six members would be elected at the same time, that doesn’t mean there would be no continuity of government. Some board members would surely be willing to run for another term, while others might not, just as they do now, and if they were doing a good job, they’d likely be re-elected.
• The concern that we’d be subject to the politics of the Westchester Board of Elections in defining the new districts is easily countered by noting that we are, in fact, free to establish our own Independent Committee to create the districts, and the law’s timeline gives us a full two years to figure it out before implementation.
• The argument that the district representation system isn’t used in any other town of our size, didn’t stop us from choosing to be only one of two towns in Westchester to institute employment of a highly-paid Town Administrator in addition to its Town Board. It’s always up to us to choose a system that works for us, regardless of whether or not any other town uses the same system.
It’s also worth noting that the more typical trend adopted by other communities when various groups feel underrepresented is to break themselves off into separate villages! Indeed, in 1977, New Castle lost Mt. Kisco, and its corresponding commercial tax base, in just such a secession, much as the disenfranchised residents of the so-called “fringe” neighborhoods are contemplating now. The Representation Referendum is intended to keep us all together as a unified Town, at least in part by creating a system that acknowledges and invites fair and equal participation of all our communities.
Finally, you will notice that those of us who initiated the Representation Referendum choose not to use the terminology of “ward” system, much as we currently do not call our town board members by their legal name, “councilmen.” We all know that words carry connotative baggage. We agree that “ward” is an antiquated word, and we too feel that it conjures, at best, images of insane asylums and at worst more turbulent historical images of desegregation and power-brokering. (On the other hand, remembering that the “ward system” was initially introduced in many communities in response to a civil rights movement to ensure equal representation, also honors the intent of the referendum right here in New Castle.) Since there is no law requiring us to define ourselves as “wards” once we adopt the districting structure, proponents of the referendum choose to refer to the “district representation” system instead of the “ward” system because it more accurately describes the referendum’s intent to represent and engage more members of our community. It does not go unnoticed that opponents of the referendum reiterate the use of the more negatively charged term, “wards.”
Bottom line is this: We know proposing systemic change can be unsettling. But we wouldn’t have begun this process (and put our necks out there for public hacking) if we hadn’t already spent years witnessing inertia and stagnation with our existing model. And so we propose a new view, a new way of opening the doors to more voices, more ideas, and more hands to get things done.
Readers can find more information about the referendum, including a Q&A, and discussion of pros and cons at www.ncreferendum.com. The site is still a work in progress, and will be right up until November 8th, as we will do our best to keep updating it with responses to questions and comments we receive in these last weeks before the election. (We hope you will also remember that our group is comprised of ordinary citizens with day jobs elsewhere and without the resources available to our opponents.)
Whether you are Democrat, Republican, Independent or Other, the Representation Referendum is about facilitating more democracy in New Castle. We’re already making good strides in that direction, when we talk about untethering town board candidates from declaring national party affiliations. Yet while our established and entrenched political naysayers dig in their heels in opposition to opening the doors to new ideas, we hope our fellow citizens will be brave enough to think differently and take a progressive stance.
Thank you for your time, and for the passion we share to keep polishing the star that is New Castle.
Penny Vane is a member of the Ad Hoc Citizens Committee for the New Castle Representation Referendum. She is a marketing consultant, freelance Creative Director, and a former Managing Director in the EURO-RSCG advertising network. She’s a current ceramics teacher at the New Castle Art Center, a Past President of the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund, a frequent CSSP host mother, and wife to the lead spokesperson of the Representation Referendum, Manny Areces.
icle/index/statement_for_league_of_women_voters_information_session”>HERE
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The two-part proposal will appear in the November 8 referendum as a single statement to which voters will answer Yes or No. It will read as follows:
“That a) the number of at-large seats on the Town Board be increased from four to six;
and
b) that these six members of the Board be elected as representatives of each of six wards respectively of the Town of New Castle, to be defined in accordance with the laws of New York State, Town Law, Article 6, Section 85.”
From NCNOW.org’s archives (newest to oldest):
Letter to the Editor: Why I’m voting YES for the ward redistricting resolution, October 28, 2011, by The Rev. Dr. Joel Clark Mason
Letter to the Editor: Vote “No” to referendum on representation by ward, October 28, 2011, by Robin Stout
Letter to the Editor: Nov. 8 Referendum—Vote YES for Democracy, October 28, 2011, by Penny Vane
Letter to the Editor: Why I’m voting YES for the ward redistricting resolution, October 28, 2011
Letter to the Editor: Ward system is not in the town’s best interest, October 24, 2011, by Dr. William H. Flank
Letter to the Editor: The wheeling and dealing of Yonkers ward system? Not for New Castle, October 24, 2011, by Betty Weitz
League info forum for referendum on elections by ward draws a curious crowd, October 21, 2011
Candidates’ thoughts on the proposed referendum on representation by ward, NCNOW, October 21, 2011
Letter to the Editor: I will vote No on the proposed referendum to institute a ward system, October 21, 2011, by Rob Greenstein
See also Sewers issue surfaces in League forum on ward system referendum, 10/21/11.
Manny Areces’ website with info on the proposed referendum: http://ncreferendum.com/
To see Gerrard’s entire statement click HERE
For background, see:
Letter to the Editor: League urges a “No” vote on ward system referendum, NCNOW.org, September 23, 2011, by Sheila Bernson and Jennifer Mebes Flagg
League of Women voters opposes ward referendum, but will hold forum on Oct. 17, NCNOW.org, September 23, 2011, by Christine Yeres
Letter to the Editor: The proposed referendum to change the structure of town board elections, NCNOW.org, September 19, 2011, by Rob Greenstein
Non-partisan group proposes expansion of town board from 4 at-large members to 6, NCNOW.org, July 1, 2011, by Susie Pender
Ms. Vane,
When I visit your website, I am disturbed by the fact that I can not learn who is behind this “Committee”. Who are the members of this committee, other than you and your husband Manny Areces? Who, if anyone, is financing this effort? Please practice the transparency you say we will get from this referendum.
Hi Penny- I have a real life scenario that happened last year and want to know if you think a ward for my neighborhood would have helped. We had a relatively small tree branch come down in the middle of our road and it took down some phone lines. The street is a busy one and also a main bus route that serves buses for 3 different schools. The road remained blocked for 5 days! All the police would do is put up two orange cones. Cars were plowing right through the branch and cones, it was a ridiculously dangerous situation and no one would help! It is also not a state road, we still cannot figure out why it was blocked for so long. There were no storms at that time and no other town roads were blocked. I wonder if we had a representative for our area that this situation would have been resolved more quickly?
To On The Fence- I had almost the same thing happen to me and I live off 120/7 Bridges. So the answer is not “getting your own representative”. We had a tree down across the street and Con-ed and Verizon could not get to my house to repair it until the town cleared the road. The town took 4 days and all the police did was put up orange traffic cones. The ward system has nothing to do what happened to you or me!
The above arguments by Penny Vane do not make the case for a ward system—you can pretty the name up all you like but it still remains a ward system. Our small town is NOT comparable to state or federal government. A ward system would most definitely pit one area of town against another and to pretend otherwise is unrealistic. If there is already “competition” between different parts of town, this system would only serve to further this divisiveness. (Surely one doesn’t assume a majority of opinion by what is commented on in this forum, including my comment here.) If greater representation by different parts of town is needed, persons from those areas should run for office. The system as proposed threatens to seriously disrupt the smooth running of our local government. Furthermore, to paint opposition to this idea as naysayers who are afraid of change belies the seriousness of your proposals.
The proposal to increase the number of town board members may be a good one and should be separated from the ward system so it can be voted on its own merit.
As to the above tree down scenario, it is hard to imagine this. I have lived in town for 25 years and have always found our local DPW to be very responsive and efficient. Don’t know what went wrong here, but it is an aberration. Is the (anonymous) writer really suggesting that every block in New Castle have its own representative??
And really, people, are you still so frightened of using your real names? It is hard to take seriously comments by people who won’t stand behind their views.
To Penny Vane- So many inaccuracies and misstatements in your letter I dont know where to begin. I live equidistant from downtown Chapp and Millwood. I prefer Rockys over Langes, Dodds over Chapp Wine, Milwwood Hardware over Greely Hardware, A7P over Gristedees(now gone), Drug Mart over Rite Aid, Taza over Starbucks, Millwood post office over Chap post office, etc etc.. I shop at Millwood nursery, gas up at the new gas station, shop at A &S, and patronize other Millwood establishments. Up until this Ward discussion I didnt know Millwood and its west end residents were so downtrodden and put upon. And I dont have sewers either. If there is any alienation and divisiveness it is coming from you. You want to “give everyone a seat at the table” but you have left out New Castle residents that live in Bedford, Yorktown, and Byram Hills school districts. So you really dont want to give EVERYONE a seat - just west enders.
I dont get it. Do you not get your mail everyday like Chapp? Do you not get your roads plowed when it snows? Do the police and fire dept not respond when you call them? Do you not get your garbage picked up? Do you not have electricity, cable, or phone service? Do you not get a chance to vote?
Having 6 board members all elected at the same time and have their terms all end at the same time is absurd. Continuity is compromised as all will be transitioning and or running for re-election at the same time - a terrible idea.
The ward system has no place in a small community of 18,000. Your example of New Castle being only one of 2 towns with a paid town administrator as support of adopting a ward system is laughable. The town administrator is but one person. It does not require a systemic change to town government and resident representation. While you call for unity you actually will accomplish the opposite. The ward system (or whatever softer more marketable term you would prefer) is divisive and counter productive.
Our tree branch cut off the bus route of children from a grade school, a middle school and the high school and was out of commission for 5 days over a relatively small branch and no Con Ed involvement, only tv cables. On the first day the children were dropped at a random location 1/2 a mile from their stop. It affected a significant area not just a block. My point is, will a more localized set-up help in these kind of situations, someone to be our champion?
It was a question not a view. Just trying to understand the proposal in a real-life, not hypothetical, kind of way.
Your letter was very good. In fact it was excellent!!! I hope others truly can accept it, and approve what is being asked for from the Voter! Please, even if you do not agree, vote for it; at a basic minimum it helps the process of being represented. This is what the Men and Women fighting overseas for our Country died for to give to others that they never knew ! Remember how the Iraqis had to dip their finger in a bottle of blue ink; all we are asking for is to be insured that we are represented !
To Still on the Fence- switching to a ward system will not get that branch cut any quicker unless you think “YOUR” representative will show up with a chain saw. I get no quicker response and I live in Chapp and supposedly have the representation you crave. The department of public works, building dept, planning board, and other local govt agencies and departments work at their own pace and won’t be influenced should we have a ward system.
You mention our federal system as being more representative of local issues. My personal opinion is that, in theory, this is absolutely correct. In practice, however, what really happens is that it gives politicians with a vested personal interest in their own power base the ability to bastardize the system through gerrymandering which is one of the main reasons we now have such polarization in our national politics. The voice of the center is lost when lines get drawn based on red and blue power bases. There are no details in this referendum upfront on how some enlightened body (your “Independent Committee to create the districts,” or ICTCTD) intends to draw the ward lines. Should that ICTCTD be the Ad Hoc Citizens Committee for the New Castle Representation Referendum? Anyway, my opinion is that our little town doesn’t need any of this.
But I do respect you willingness to post your name at the bottom of your posts, which unfortunately so few on this forum are willing to do (especially those making ad hominem attacks, or flames as we called them in the old usenet days).
It seems like the “town never responded to my problem” is becoming a common rallying cry in favor of the ward system. I am not going to rehash the many reasons I have for opposing the ward system, but I do not believe that we should change the whole structure of our town government because Con Ed took too long to remove a tree branch.
I believe there are less drastic, more productive ways, of solving these type of problems. Maybe, and I repeat maybe, the answer is that residents simply need a more efficient way to report problems to the right agency (Con Ed in the case of downed wires as the cause of the fallen tree—NOT police or DPW), to follow up and get their issues resolved.
This could easily be accomplished with improvements to the town web site that would make it more user friendly. For example, instead of merely listing the various town departments, I would suggest boxes with the 10 most common problems residents encounter—and a clear option for problems that are Con Ed’s or DOT’s (like potholes on state roads). One box might say click here if your having an issue with your neighbor, click here if a tree fell on the road, click here if pothole needs to be repaired, etc. After clicking the box, an automated email response is generated that the inquiry was forwarded to the XYZ department or outside agency such as Con Ed or DPW - with the telephone # provided for follow up purposes - and an email address & telephone # is provided to log a complaint if you don’t receive a prompt response.
We pay A LOT of $ in taxes - our residents deserve good customer/government service.
I don’t want to suggest that residents shouldn’t call their elected officials to get problems resolved. But, the answer might be better communication, instead of the drastic step of restructuring town government.
Ms. Vane,
I read through the ncreferendum.com website and found reference to the New Castle Town Club and the non-partisan Ad Hoc Citizens’ Committee of residents of the Town of New Castle. However, there is not a single name of any individual in either the club or the committee, or in fact any information about the members or size of these organizations anywhere on the website. The “contact us” feature does not list who “us” is, and instead provides only a mechanism for someone to submit a message. In fact, neither your name nor your husband’s name appear anywhere in the website. Why all the secrecy? Do the club and committee have meetings? Are they by invitation only? If your goals include transparency and fair representation, why not be transparent and tell us who you are representing in this effort? Thank you.
Yes, Ms. Vane, your group seems to be following in the tradition of Ms. Mottel’s downtown steering committee whose meetings are closed, and in the newer tradition of the school board which is allowing its business person to not only keep his budget advisory committee meetings closed, but also to keep names of participants a secret.
Ms Vane- several good points and several good questions have been asked of you in this comments section in response to your letter. yet you remain silent. to repeat a few- would a ward system get the branch cut down faster? Why no transparency on your website and details regarding committee members etc? Why sewers in Millwood over other areas? What is wrong with Millwood that you complain about when to the rest of us Millwood seems to be doing very well and thriving? On the surface I am opposed to the ward system but I a opened minded and might possibly be convinced otherwise. These issues raised and questions asked are important in formulated an educated position. If you write a letter to the community making a case for the ward system the least you can do is respond to many of us that ask you questions….
Please don’t give up if you should lose this… Just repetition to increase the size of the Board only. That should pass and that would help diversify the Town Board which is much needed…
Many town residents do not think of themselves as New Castle (-ers, -ites,-tonians). Instead, they associate with their nearest village. Those in the westernmost part of town may have more connections with Ossining or Croton/Cortlandt. Those in the easternmost portion consider Bedford or Armonk home, and so on. Even a state politician, who probably understands municipal boundaries, imagines himself as a resident of Mt. Kisco, even when he isn’t.
Instead of wards, why not divide the town by neighborhood and allow surrounding towns or villages to annex adjacent, abutting neighborhoods to reflect resident perceptions? The central area of New Castle covered by the 10514 zip code could become a coterminous village and town with the name of Chappaqua.
Definition: Social set; clique.
Already: adv. by or before the given time; previously.
Is: v. pres. t. of BE: used with he, she, or it.
This is how Town Hall already conducts themselves, this is why we want a ward system. We are looking for reresentation of matters that are important to the West End at the Town level; not lost MAIL. Although the West End does get treated like lost mail; when found it gets shredded!!
Ms, Vane,
I would like to say that the signatures that your husband Manny Areces collected were often
done by pressuring passers by over many months with comments like “more democracy”
for the town, like the heading of your column. Many people, myself included signed his petition after he pressed and pressed , saying, “what do you have to lose, it will do no harm”. Many people, like myself now with more information, wish that they had not fallen prey to his pressure and are very sorry that they signed his petition. When I say many, I do mean many. Person after person has told me so. It clearly has done harm and now the Town is faced with this unfortunate referendum.
Many apologies for my delayed responses to these posts. Like many of our neighbors, we have been without power since Saturday afternoon and have thus been dealing with the related mundanities of mere living. (FYI, as of this writing, Wednesday night, after 9 p.m, we are still without power!! Sigh.) That said, please bear with me as I try to respond to each of these questions/issues, which might take several “windows” of answers to address. Please also note that many of your comments/concerns are also being addressed as we receive them at our website, ncreferendum.com, and Manny has also submitted a more comprehensive Letter to the Editor responding to your questions, which should appear in this Friday’s edition of NewCastleNow.org. Thank you.
That said, In order of appearance to this letter:
@ all those who wonder exactly WHO is on our Ad Hoc Citizens’ Committee (and especially to those who would not ask using their own name): Are you so eager to shoot the messenger? Doesn’t an idea warrant consideration on its own merits, without the coloration of personal opinion about the individuals who propose it? If the “committee” were, in fact, only Manny and I, would that matter? The truth is, “ad hoc” is the operating word in our “committee.” There is no official membership roster, no membership dues, no masthead with a list of officers and board members. The “committee” is a fluid evolving group of residents, an evolution of the non-partisan New Castle Community Party of several years ago, some of whom chose to carry the petition to put the referendum on the ballot, some of whom breakfast at Langes on Thursday mornings, some of whom may be less willing than Manny and I to risk ostrasization of our neighbors for standing up for something different … but all of whom love Our Town and have given much of themselves to its improvement. Anyone is welcome to participate.
@On the fence: I can’t really say whether or not a district representation system would get the trees cleared from your street any faster. (Given my own current circumstances, I sure wish it would!) But that’s not the intent of the referendum anyway. I think the referendum is designed to ensure that all our neighborhoods could commisserate together about the failings of DPW, ConEd et al, and perhaps together we might then have greater influence in rallying for such long-term planning as how to put the power lines underground, or how to improve the rapid response system to get our homes re-powered. The Representation Referendum (like all local district representation systems) is designed to ensure that we see and hear everyone’s local issues while putting them in context of the whole community. That just isn’t happening right now.
Manny / Penny, you are the BEST! Keep it up, your critics are getting really nasty and you have such calm and beautiful responses that continue to neutralize their negativity.
By the way, have we not noticed, that all sitting members are against your plan? Perhaps if we had our own representative sitting in Town Hall, at least ONE PERSON WOULD BE SUPPORTING IT!
Victory is at hand my Patriots, keep pursuing it with the grace and Professionalism that you have always been showing everyone!
West Enders - PLEASE COME OUT IN DROVES - LET YOUR VOICES BE HEARD THROUGH YOUR VOTE - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS ISSUE LIGHTLY - IT IS SOooooooooooo VERY IMPORTANT!
After we get it approved - I just hope that the person that represents the West End truly understands the issues of the WEST END! Town Hall has had decades of not understanding the West End!
Go forth, forward, straight ahead, around the curve, up the hill, climb the moutain, cross the bridges (Not the Tappan Zee), and give the grace of your VOTE towards this issue——VOTE YES!
