Responding to Claims Made by the Political Insiders and Protectors of the Status Quo
Claim: “They timed their submission of their petition to ensure as few voters as possible.”
Fact: We wanted a Vote on Election Day; the Town Board refused.
- The Town Board is the sole entity that can schedule a referendum vote. We asked the individual Town Council Members to put Council Districts on the ballot this past Election Day. They refused and told us to collect petitions. We asked them not to challenge the petitions and they refused.
- We organized the largest petition drive in Town history: 123 volunteers collected 788 pages of petitions and nearly 4,000 signatures. We submitted the petitions to the Town Clerk as soon as we had enough signatures to withstand challenges. Petitions drives almost always result in special elections. That is the way petitions work under the law.
- We had no control over the timing of the vote. The Town Council was then forced by the law to schedule a vote. We only wish they had put it on the ballot on Election Day as we had requested.
Claim: The December 22 vote “was made necessary by a small group of individuals.”
Fact: The Concerned Citizens of Huntington is the Largest Non-Partisan Group with Members from All Parts of Town and We Conducted the Largest Petition Drive in Town History.
The vote will take place on December 22 as a special election because the Town Council refused for five years to put the issue on the ballot.
The Concerned Citizens of Huntington is not a small group, but a large one with membership from all parts of Town and all political parties. We conducted the largest petition drive in Town History: 123 volunteers collected 788 pages of petitions and nearly 4,000 signatures. The non-partisan nature of our group is best reflected in the make-up of our top ten petition volunteers: three Democrats, three Conservatives, two Independents and two Republicans.
We have members from all parts of Town, all walks of life and all political points of view. We have the formal endorsement of the Long Island Progressive Coalition, the Huntington Republicans, the Working Family Party, the Huntington Conservatives, County Executive Steve Levy, Highway Superintendent William Naughton, County Legislator Jon Cooper and Assemblyman Jim Conte with other elected officials ready to make their support public.
To dismiss Council District supporters as “disgruntled” or “small” is to denigrate a broad gathering of civic-minded volunteers. The insiders have ignored the larger population of Town for too long.
Claim: Council District supporters are “hoping that voters will be too involved with the holidays to come out and vote.”
Fact: We wanted the vote on Election Day and want as many people to vote as possible.
We wanted the vote held on Election Day; it was the Town Council that refused to let the people vote in the general election. We have done all we can to educate the people of Huntington about this issue. We have held information meetings for nearly a year and want to educate as many people as possible.
The more people who understand the issue, the more likely it will pass. The more people who vote, the better for Huntington. It is the Town Hall insiders who are working behind the scenes to undermine public debate and to defeat this measure.
Fact: Yes, the Town Council Should Make Decisions in the Best Interests of the Town, but to do so, All Communities Must Be Heard.
All legislators need to balance the needs of their immediate constituents with the theoretical greater good. That happens at every level of government. What we need in Huntington is some accountability to our communities. Across America, legislators balance local needs with overall needs; Huntington is out of balance because we do not have a system that represents local interests and needs.
To know what is in the best interest of the whole town, the Town Council must hear from all our communities. Under the current system, not all communities have a voice at Town Hall. We need a system that ensures representation for all.
Under the current system, all council members could live on the same street. In recent times, a majority of the Board lived in one community. Currently, all Council Members live in the east side of Town and no one lives on the west side of Town. Start in Melville, go through West Hills, South Huntington, Huntington Station, Huntington Village, Huntington Bay, Cold Spring Harbor and Lloyd Harbor and you will not find a single Town Council person.
Council Districts make sure all areas have a Council Member living near them. Under the At-Large System, communities can be ignored and have no recourse
Claim: “Council Districts Replace the Idea of What’s in the Best Interest of the Whole Town”
Fact: How Can We Know What’s in the Best Interest of the Town if Our Communities Don’t Have a Voice
- To Know the What’s in the Best Interest of the Whole Town, the Town Council Must Hear from All Our Communities
- Under the Current System, All Council Members Could Live on the Same Street. Council Districts Make Sure All Areas Have Some Living Near Them.
- Across America Legislators Balance Local Needs with Overall Needs; Huntington is Out of Whack
- Under the At-Large System, Communities Can be Ignored and Have No Recourse
Claim: “Councilmanic Districts divides Huntington and pits us against our neighbors.”
Fact: Council Districts do not divide the Town.
Council Districts ensure that all parts of Town have a voice at Town Hall. Giving all our communities representation does not divide the Town. Council Districts have not divided the four other Long Island towns (Hempstead, North Hempstead, Brookhaven and Southold) that have made this change.
Would the opponents do away with districts in the County Legislature? Would the opponents do away with districts in the State Assembly? The House of Representatives? Have the presence of districts destroyed Suffolk County?
The arguments against Council Districts go against the core of American government: representation.
Claim: Council Districts “will open the door for corruption, “backroom deals” and bickering thereby playing one district against another, which will result in little being accomplished.”
Fact: Council Districts will lead to more openness add less corruption.
This false claim assumes there are no back room deals in Huntington now and that the current structure has not pitted one part of Town against another. In fact, four other Towns on Long Island have adopted Council Districts and there is no evidence of districts ganging up.
No Town government is perfect, but those that have switched to Council Districts are doing fine. In Brookhaven, Newsday has reported how well the Town is working under the leadership of Supervisor Mark Lesko and the Council District members. Let’s talk facts, not false fears.
The current system has led to 100 percent unanimous votes (598 votes taken, 598 unanimous votes in 2009). Huntington suffers from a lack of openness and a lack of debate at Town Hall. Council Districts will bring new voices and fresh air to Town Hall. Under Council Districts, Town Council Members will be accountable to their districts, not to political parties, not to big money supporters. Their re-election will depend upon how well they serve their communities; no how well they serve their donors.
Claim: “Other towns on Long Island have tried councilmanic districts and my beliefs seem to hold true … just look at how accountable and open they are in the towns of Brookhaven and Hempstead!”
Fact: Four Towns on Long Island have made the switch with no effort to undo the change. Government is not perfect there, but is better. Groups in more Towns are looking to make the change.
Council Districts have worked well in Hempstead and Brookhaven as well as North Hempstead and Southold. That is why movements are afoot in Islip, Riverhead, Oyster Bay and Babylon to move to Council Districts.
Listen to the people who know what is really happening.
· Liz Krolik, a Huntington resident and staff person to the Brookhaven Town Council, spoke at Town Hall in favor of Council Districts say they are “necessary,” and will make Huntington better just as they did Brookhaven:
· County Executive Steve Levy has endorsed Council Districts for Huntington because of their success in Brookhaven.
· Dr. Marsha Laufer, chairwoman of the Brookhaven Town Democratic Committee, has said, “Election wards have been great for Brookhaven.”
· Richard Johannessen, a Conservative activist and one of the leaders who brought Council Districts to Brookhaven describes them as “miraculous.”
· John Jay LaValle, former Republican Brookhaven Supervisor has endorsed Council Districts and has spoken in favor of Council Districts in Huntington.
· Suffolk County Democratic leader Rich Schaffer, who supported Council Districts in Brookhaven, told the New York Times that the move to Council Districts is good. ‘’It gives people a better shot at getting a quick response to community problems.”