Letter: Slater Addresses Post-Election Silence

For some reason there were a number of people waiting to hear my comments after the Bond vote Monday evening. As I stated to the reporters at the time I was letting our President and Superintendent do the talking. Nobody silenced me- I chose to honor their wishes and let them respond post mortem to the defeat which, I believe was the right thing to do .

The fact of the matter is that the citizens of Westfield spoke loud and clear with nearly a 3-1 margin against the referendum. The Board will be meeting next Tuesday and publicly discuss the facts and begin the work on how next to proceed. There are two realities though- The town spoke loudly not wanting this referendum as it was offered and the more pressing reality is that we have serious problems with our roofs. It is my belief that we as a Board can come up with a solution that a majority of people will be comfortable with. 

It is also my hope that we can heal the misplaced anger and sometimes malicious blame that has been thrown at 9 volunteers and administrators who take their position very seriously- and always have the best intentions for the 6,000 students and taxpayers we represent. I know some believe we have other agendas- and I welcome those folks to join the 9 of us after midnight most Tuesday evenings (actually early Wednesday mornings) while we do the hard work that comes with the office. I, for one, was elected on a platform of fiscal responsibility and pledge to continue to keep that discussion alive at every meeting and future negotiations.

I've lived and worked in Westfield for 21 years- and remain very proud of our schools and our community. I know we can all heal these wounds and find solutions going forward. I hope to see you at one of our next meetings. Your voice truly matters. I continue to feel honored serving alongside the other 8 outstanding men and women on the Board of Education and representing all the people of Westfield.

To quote the now late Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along."

Mitch Slater

Member, Westfield Board of Education