VOTE "NO" ON FTR WHILE YOU STILL CAN

Did you ever hear of a referendum where you can’t vote no? Imagine a Financial Town Meeting where only those voting in favor of a budget were counted.

If Tiverton voters approve the charter change to replace the Financial Town Meeting with the proposed Financial Town Referendum — the FTR — that’s what we’ll have.

Instead of the Financial Town Meeting, we will have a new system. Every spring, we’ll go to a polling place, be given a ballot that may have one, five, 50 (or more) budget proposals, and be told to “vote for one.” You will not be able to “reject” budgets no matter how bad you think they are.

If there is only one budget on the ballot, that budget will be approved regardless of how many voters oppose it — one voter’s approval would be all that’s needed. Why hold an election if there is only one budget? Why would we deliberately set up a system that spends about $15,000 of taxpayer money to conduct an uncontested election with a predetermined outcome?

Alternatively, instead of one budget, there may be many, because the FTR makes it very easy for any residents to get their own budget on the ballot. All it takes is 50 signatures on a petition. The FTR does not require any oversight of petition budgets — legal/illegal, prudent/imprudent; get 50 signatures and your budget will be on the ballot.

Be aware though, the ballot will show bottom line budget numbers only — not what is included or excluded in a budget or whether or not it’s legal.

And remember, whether legal/illegal or prudent/imprudent, you will not be able to vote no. If you can’t in all good conscience vote “for” any budget, then your ballot will not be counted and a budget will be chosen for you. Even if the majority agreed with you that all proposed budgets are bad, the minority that picked a budget will rule. Why would we deliberately set up a system that does not ensure majority rule?

As much as I’d like to see the Financial Town Meeting go away, I cannot support the FTR. If we want the people to directly decide the budget, then the people must be able to vote their yes or no decision, not just a yes.

The good news is that you will be able to vote no on replacing the Financial Town Meeting with the FTR. So, vote no in November, because you won'’t be able to afterwards if the FTR passes.

Laura Epke
Tiverton, RI