Hi MAK,
Upon reading your letter, I have to wonder what I have missed in previous
mails. Having been involved in the last vote for SC, I think I could answer
some of your statements.
First, I agree alot of the CC's don't voice their opinions to the mailing
list, I also know a few of them don't even bother to open the mail unless
it states roll call on it. However, I don't believe that would actually
affect a vote for an SC. It didn't at the last election. I don't believe we
have to do a public vote. I also think that instead of having 1 percent
vote and calling it a majority, if we set a limit such as 75% or 80% of
able voters would be the majority.
Second, I guess I don't see why all of the CC's should go to MIRC. I feel
if anything needs to be said, it can be said on the mailing list, however,
more importantly for me anyway is the fact that if I am even lucky enough
to be on the computer at that time, I would much prefer to be working on my
county pages. I don't think we would have to use MIRC as a forum to vote or
voice praise or anything else. Just my opinion, though.
Third, why would the CC's have to know how each CC voted? I see no point
in doing that, unless of course they don't want certain CC's to vote. I
believe if the vote is going to be made public, i.e. Debie Blindauer from
Calumet & Sheboygan Counties voted this way, then you got it, a bunch of
them would never bother. We just completed elections on the state level,
did they make it known who voted for who or how many people voted out of
how many could have voted? How do we know this was a true majority? It is
no different in general life, if you don't go to the voting polls, then
your vote doesn't count, we can't force all of the CC's to vote, but if
they are allowed the choice and they choose to not bother, isn't that their
right and in turn wouldn't they be saying I don't want to be involved? As
with everything else, you can't force everyone to vote, but I bet you would
have more then 1 % if it was closed. I don't see why it should remain open.
I don't believe you would get an honest vote then.
Fourth, I agree the list can and has been in the past a place where it can
be seen as "us against them", then again, I believe that is the situation
anyplace you are if you don't match the opinions of someone else. I think
as long as an opinion is made and not a direct thing such as "Debie, You
have nothing worth while to say, I don't know who you think you are or
where you get off starting this" feelings won't be hurt. I am hoping I am
not hurting your feelings or anyone elses feelings here by just stating my
opinion and the facts that I have seen from the last election.
I think if someone wants to get involved, they will one way or the other,
if it makes no difference to them, then they will leave it rest. Some may
look at it as being unfair to them, however, if I chose to not vote or not
e-mail the list, along with let's say 5 other CC's, would that stop the
process of any decision from being made? I would hope not. I have seen in
the past where issues have been brought up and opened for discussion,
things that really didn't have bearing one way or the other for me, so I
stayed out of it. I don't believe it was forgotten about and left undone
because many of the CC's, like myself didn't get involved.
Someone also brought up about discussing and voting for things on the
county mailing list. Nothing was decided because not many of the people
voiced their likes, dislikes or opinion. I had the same thing happen to me
way back when I first started placing the Vital Index on-line for Sheboygan
County. I had someone suggest one way or presenting them, which would get
them on much faster, but then I had someone else suggest a different way,
which takes a tad bit longer, but they thought it would look nicer and be
easier for all to use. I tossed the decision to the mailing list. I
received 7 replies of one way or the other, the 8th response simply said
that since I am the CC and I am the one taking the time to add things and
make the county what it is today, it didn't matter to them and that is why
a major majority didn't bother to vote, or voice an opinion, it simply
didn't matter to them. However, the same ones who we very seldom hear from
on the mailing list, are also the ones who when something does matter, they
do speak up and say something, even if it is just to me in private e-mail.
I am still not sure what everyone is worried about with this vote. I was
under the impression that this was to safeguard the future for us CC's, not
as a way to get rid of something that works. No one wants to see Tina
leave, but what if we get a nightmare SC someday. I hate to guess one way
or the other what would suddenly happen to this state. Like it or not,
someday Tina will no longer be our SC, I have to guess that somewhere down
the road, it could be 30 years from now or more, she will be stepping down.
It is wonderful to think that someone could come in that would care about
the state and the CC's the same way, but what if they don't? The CC's then
are going to be wondering why nothing was ever done to safeguard against
having to deal with a nightmare person forever.
I still don't see a reason why we, as a state, shouldn't safeguard
ourselves in the event of future nightmare events.
As for voting for the SC and then allowing them to pick the ASC, it wasn't
done that way in the last election. Being a part of the vote counting
committee, I know we had to keep track of the votes for each roll, the SC
and also the ASC. When the voted ASC stepped down, Tina then chose her ASC,
but to my knowledge, that was the first time the ASC had ever been picked
in the state by the SC.
It seems to me some people are worried about current people being voted
out, I don't know why they are worried, that was never, I believe what this
was all about.
Whatever the rest of the CC's or the ASC or SC decides is fine with me. I
am only tossing my note into the ring to explain some things as I saw them
and understand them. Makes no difference to me one way or the other, so I
am going to bail and go back to working on my county pages.
Debie Blindauer
Calumet & Sheboygan Counties