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 The Vote Heard Round the State?
by Tom Campbell
October 8, 2009
I’ve been wondering what it was like the day after “the shot heard round the world.” Did the residents of Massachusetts know they had been witness to the start of a revolution that would change the power structure of a continent or did they just think it a singular event of violence? Would it be too farfetched to then question whether the vote this week for the Wake County School Board was the beginning of a voter revolution in our state or simply the repudiation of current school policies and leaders?
The American Revolution was the result of a disgruntled people who banded together and, through their passion, changed history. Present day polling data indicates unprecedented levels of distrust and unhappiness within our state. It’s more than a lousy economy that has people disgruntled. They are tired of repeated corruption and ethics violations, yo-yo cycles of government budget expansions and contractions and of leadership full of yesterday’s solutions to today’s problems. Making matters worse, taxes and other expenses are increasing at the same time incomes are static, declining or have vanished. There is a growing unrest in this state.
What makes the election in Wake noteworthy is that school board members and administrators appear to have forgotten two essential concepts of our nation. Our founders wanted to guarantee we never again had a government that was unresponsive or unaccountable, so all public power was given subject to the “consent of the governed.” When public officials aren’t responsive, act arrogantly or don’t convince citizens of the rightness of their positions, the people withdraw their consent through their votes, and that was exactly what happened Tuesday.
North Carolina’s highest court has affirmed the purpose of public education the guarantee for every child to a “sound basic education.” The Wake election turned because a small, passionate group of citizens said the school board and administrators were more focused on socioeconomic diversity than on emphasizing quality education. Opponents of current policies said frequent student school reassignments and lengthy school bus rides were evidence that school leaders desired balance in each school more than the first mandate for quality education. Most accept the value of diversity, but emphasize that isn’t the number one priority.
To be sure the vote Tuesday was small. About ten percent of voters showed up, reflective of the turnout throughout the state. But this is exactly the point. A small group of disgruntled, passionate citizens got out their supporters and carried the election. We cannot help but wonder if this might be an indicator of what might occur in next year’s larger legislative and U.S. Senate elections.
No doubt British leaders thought the skirmish in Concord was insignificant. Perhaps leaders throughout North Carolina think the same about Tuesday’s Wake School Board election. Only time will tell whether this was a singular instance of a small group of disgruntled citizens or “the vote heard round the state.” |
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