The Independent-News, Volume 112, Number 22, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 30 October 1986 — Page 4
- THE INDEPENDENT NEWS - OCTOBER 30, 1986
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VOTE NOVEMBER 4 Tuesday, November 4 is General Election Day. However, this year, more is at stake than the national, state and county offices to be filled in this non-presidential year, there are local races as well. Not only is the trustee’s office and the advisory board up for election, this year both Walkerton and North Liberty have two Town Board seats up for grabs. Both towns, in recent years, has adopted the format of having their five seats filled in different years, two in the general election every four years and the other three, the clerk treasurer and any other local office that may be contested, in the regular off-year, odd-year election for strictly towns and cities. Add to this, this year there are referendums on the ballot for several different things including a strictly local referendum vote for Walkerton and one for North Liberty. These take a yes or no vote on the machine. Included in the referendum votes are: St. Joseph County Amendments To The Constitution Os The State Os Indiana Referendum Questions as follows: Shall Section 12 of Article 11 of the Constitution of the State of Indiana be amended to authorize the General Assembly to permit the investment of state retirement funds in the stock corporation, associations, and banks? Shall Article 8 of the Constitution of the State of Indiana be amended to permit the use of the common school fund for any purpose determined by the General Assembly, subject to limitations imposed by federal law? Supreme Court Os Indiana: Shall Justice Roger O. Deßruler be retained in Office. Court Os Appeals Third District: Shall Judge William I. Garrard be retianed in office? St. Joseph County Superior Court: Shall Judge William H. Albright of the St. Joseph Superior Court be retained in office for an additional term? And, the Town of Walkerton Referendum Question: Shall the Walkerton municipality owned electric and water utilities be taken out of the jurisdiction of the Indiana Public Service Commission for the approval of charges and rates? Town of North Liberty Referendum Question: Should property located at 204, 206, 208, 210 and 300 North Main Street be rezoned from Residential to General Commercial? As you can see, the Walkerton and North Liberty referendums are strictly local, and even though the Walkerton electric utility covers more than just residents of Walkerton, the referendum is only on the Walkerton ballot and will be decided by only those voters. The North Liberty referendum is more of a personal matter, the question being raised and petition passed to get this on the ballot after the Town Board had agreed to rezone a small area north of the business district to allow a business to continue in operation. This paper is in favor of the Walkerton referendum despite the wide-open conditions that could follow. We feel that the decision is a good one to be removed from the rate control of the Public Service Commission for obvious reasons, but feel that much more must be done if the referendum is passed and the Town taken from this jurisdiction. This to date, has not been discussed and has been avoided when mentioned by various persons in questioning the entire process. Giving this power to unqualified persons without any system of checks and balances is a serious problem and further attention must be given to this matter. The North Liberty referendum, well, it is individual against individual. In this case those opposing have basically stated, it is alright for additional commercial expansion . . . but not in this area. This is strictly a personal decision to be made, but the matter is on the ballot and will be answered by the voters. There is no doubt of the importance of the two Town Board seats up for election in both towns. The people elected to fill these positions will have a say in the operation of the respective towns for the next four years, and this has been and continues to be, a job that carries more and more importance all the time with changing times, regulations, restrictions and more and more responsibility being placed in the hands of the local people. We strongly urge each and every registered voter to get out and vote on Tuesday, November 4. Remember, this is a privilege you have that many people around the world do not share, the right f or a say in your own governments. VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
“Pareata Os Join Glean High Schaal Stadeota” The John Glenn High School teachers and administrators are again personally inviting all parents to attend this year’s edition of our Parent-Teacher Conferences. The date set aside for the conferences is Monday, November 3, 1986 from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. We feel it is very important far
you to have the opportunity to come in and discuss your children with our teachers in order to support and encourage their academic progress. Your young people need to see that you really care about their development socially, emotionally, and intellectually. At these conferences, parents can find out what problems in learning may exist and be advised as to what steps to take to work cooperatively with the
school for the betterment of the student. When the school and the home work together, positive expectations may be achieved. Unfortunately, so many times the parents that teachers need to talk to do not come in to the school. We can always count on the “good students” parents showing up. we want and need to talk to the parents of “struggling students”. We want to strongly encourage all parents to come to the conferences. You are important to the growth and development and success of these young people. Sincerely, Mike Shuler, Principal “Be Sure To Vote’’ This is vour chance to be heard in a voice loud and clear concerning your high electric bills. We have a choice to make Election Day whether to remain under the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission on setting electric rates or whether to let our own local officials use their own judgement. Remember — your present Town Board and those to follow pay the same rates as you do so they are just as interested as you to get and to keep the rates as low as possible. Remember too — the present Town Board did not sign the long term contract with NIPSCO that we have been saddled with nor did they ask for or want the $30,000 utility study the Public Service Commission demanded. Neither were they responsible for the long delay in lowering the rates recently. We can and will avoid many of these extremely costly problems if we remove ourselves from the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission on setting rates but we can’t do this without a majority vote. Every single person qualified to vote should vote on this issue. It could be one of the most important votes you ever cast. I think we all fear the unknown but can we do any worse than the position we have been in where we are buying power from NIPSCO who has one of the highest rates in the nation and are asking for more? Can we do worse than having one of the highest local electric rates in the state? Better things are on the horizon in the near future however for your local Energy Board appointed by your present Town Board is working with seven other towns and when NIPSCO’s contract runs out in October, 1987, we can and will recommend the Town sign a contract with the power company offering us the most favorable rates and at the present time there is power available at far lower rates than we are forced to pay under our present contract. Also your present Town Board on the advice of the Energy Board and their consulting firm, are buying all the power in excess of the minimum they have to buy under their NIPSCO contract from other suppliers and have saved you — the electric user, many thousands of dollars in the last year. Regardless of your political preference or like or dislike of your present town officials, 1 feel they have done more than any past Town Board trying to do something about electric rates even though they are handicapped with a contract they can’t break and are under the rule of the Public Service Commission that only you can change. My hat is off particularly to Greg Williams, whom I did not even know until he became a town board member. Greg has given untold hours and spent a lot of his own money going to utility meetings, arranging meetings, making long distance calls, etc. He not only is knowledgeable about electric power he has been the driving force behind the Energy Board and the Town Board on utility issues, yet about
all the thanks he has received is criticism along with the rest of the Town Board, but for my part, Greg, thanks a lot. It is a pleasure working with you and what you have done and are doing is going to save my businesses untold thousands of dollars in utility costs in the future. The whole town is deeply indebted to you and most of the people don’t even know it because so little publicity has been given to our energy problems that we are now correcting as fast as we are allowed according to laws and contracts. I urge you to stay on and continue to lend your knowledge and
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A special day is quickly approaching — November 4, 1986. On this day, you are requested to participate in one of the most significant freedoms guaranteed by the United States Constitution. The qualifications are simple You must be a citizen of the United States, you must be 18 years of age or older, and you must have a few minutes of spare time. If, by chance, you are still baffled over the significance of this important event. November 4 is Election Day And, there are races in every state, on every level Candidates representing a diverse spectrum of views have been diligently working to gain your attention These candidates want to represent you, your voice, your ideas, and your concerns in the democratic process But, you must show that you care You must vote. Many Americans take their right to vote for granted. If we know the issues, if we have strong party affiliation, if we can identify with the candidate, and if we take some time, then we vote. But just imagine for a minute what the consequences would be if this privilege was taken away. Equal representation is one of the pillars of our democratic system. There are 28 countries in the world dependent on this system. But voters in these democracies take greater advantage of their electoral processes For example, in New Zealand, which has a voting system similar to our own, voter turnout is 90 4 percent. The average voter turn-
expertise for the betterment of the whole town. I’m sure it will be a great source of satisfaction to you when we finally win the battle and get our electric rates down where they are comparable to surrounding areas. Roy Wilcox
f NOTICES
Residents of Starke County are to use the new number for the Ambulance Service, not Rannells Funeral Home. The proper phone number is 1-800-552-2403 or 7725003.
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1 Wfel z V T ’ ' J; (JU 'f ‘ l rj 1 Zvvz 1 1 • I jlrT out in other democracies is 78 6 percent But since 1945, the average voter turnout in the L^nited States is a mere 58 5 percent On congressional election years, such as 1986, that number can drop by 10 to 20 percentage points If you forfeit your right to vote, you are saying that you don’t care who represents you in the White House, in Congress, in the statehouse or on the school board Media coverage of the elections has brought information to you on television, in the papers, on the radio, in your mailbox, and on billboards Being aware is unavoidable. This election year is offering a politically exciting battle over the control of the Senate. It is receiving attention both across the nation and around the world. It can affect the last two years of the Reagan administration. Clearly, Republicans want to keep control of the Senate, just as much as the Democrats want to take it back. Now it's your duty to show that you care. Take advantage of your Constitutional privilege. On November 4, go to the polls and vote A democracy which millions have fought to preserve is certainly worth those few minutes of your time.