Too often when people get elected to public boards they only run with the pack. It’s as if elected ‘trustees? believe to get along they must go along, rubber stamping whatever proposals that come down the pike. It’s unfortunate, but the public would be amazed at all the 7-0 votes their elected officials put forth.
So, it is refreshing when trustees stand up, ask questions and voice concerns which may be contrary to the majority. Such is the case with Clarkston School Board members Barry Bomier and Joan Patterson.
At the last school board meeting the hot topic was the upcoming school millage ballot proposals — a complicated issue.
Trustees Bomier and Patterson deserve credit for being outspoken and expressing concern for voters and taxpayers.
On January 9, Bomier disputed the time span between non-homestead millage elections. He questioned the aggressiveness of presenting voters with two simultaneous 10-year millage proposals. He was the first to focus on keeping the school millage proposal in the voters hands.
At the same meeting, Patterson strongly voiced her concerns for local businesses during these unstable economic times. She appropriately echoed Bomier’s statements for keeping millage renewals off the ballot for a decade. She prefers to keep the issue where it belongs, in voters hands.
Though we disagree with the board’s attempt to circumvent the Headlee Amendment, we appreciate those boards members who value the concerns of business owners and voters over their own convenience. We are thankful Bomier and Patterson see the lack of necessity in a long-term millage.
Clarkston Schools are a large part of this community, but they are only a piece of a much bigger picture. We thank those board members who see outside the boundaries of the board room and show respect for the community as a whole.