Looks like the referendum asking whether the Village should retain the Parks and Rec Board will be on the ballot for the November election. It will be interesting to see whether the Village Board will now wait until the results of that referendum before voting on this issue. In the case of at least one trustee, a decision to do so would be consistent with previous statements on this blog and in the newspapers. What does Trustee Reynolds have to say about referendums, you ask? Let's take a look (italics mine):
From the 1/30/07 Landmark:
Nearly 600 registered Riverside voters signed the petition, which asked for support to put the question "Shall the Village of Riverside establish a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District?" on the ballot. ..."We felt this was the only way to guarantee the residents to have a say on the issue," said James Reynolds, president of the Frederick Law Olmsted Society and spokesman for the group of residents who circulated the petitions throughout the month of January...."This issue is just too important for seven people to decide," Reynolds added.
From this blog on 12/15/06:
The petition does not, in and of itself, reject the TIF. It simply places the choice on the ballot and gives voters the right to decide whether or not they want one in Riverside. It would seem that we all would want to weigh-in on a choice that will affect our Village for years to come.
From this blog on 12/11/06:
It was quite heartening to see how our village residents stepped up to the podium at the first public airing of the TIF here in Riverside. Residents were given the chance to voice their opinions and there was overwhelming opposition to the idea. Resident after resident thought that this was a poorly conceived idea with no master plan to back it up.
Many residents asked why they were not going to get a chance to vote on this extremely expensive proposition ($20 Million) and the resulting answer was that it was not necessary under state law and that the Village Board has the sole authority to decide upon its use....Those in attendance in a standing-room-only crowd were also chastised for not attending more meetings. It would seem to me that if the Board was doing a great job then residents would only need to view the proceedings on channel 6 not march on the Village Hall to let their elected officials know that something concerns them.
This is the democratic process in full sway and I am glad that our system still works and responds to the voters.
As a result the board has taken a step back from the path and is taking another look. I, for one, think that this is prudent and can only hope that the voice of the residents is heard loud and clear.
Hopefully, Trustee Reynolds will take the same enlightened attitude toward citizen particicipation in the political process as he did when he was on the other side of the window.