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Cast Informed Vote On May 3
any voters approach local school elections
with the same degree of interest they would
11111 give to the latest balloting in Kazakhstan.
That's not a very wise thing to do.
Even in the midst of a historic return to Jewish edu-
cation, there are issues in the public schools that direct-
ly concern our community. You are hardly an unin-
volved bystander in the round of school elections,
including several in Oakland County, being held on
May 3.
The public schools still form the bedrock of the
American educational experience. It is to everyone's
interest to make sure that they are strong, financially
sound and well directed.
There are also candidates and tax and
bond issues whose agenda may not be con-
sistent with the values and beliefs of this
community. There is, or should be, a
responsibility to be informed about them and to vote
your interests.
Sure it's your right to ignore any public balloting.
The U.S. Constitution provides the freedom to vote or
not vote without coercion. But decisions better repre-
sent the public will when informed voting prevails.
School elections are troublesome beasts at best. In
many cases, they deliberately have been kept separate
from other elections. That almost always guarantees a
low turnout and ensures a small group of voters will
control local school issues.
School districts are responsible for 100 percent of
the costs involved with school elections not held in
conjunction with other elections. That makes it even
more imperative that your voice be heard on May 3;
your school tax dollars are bearing the entire cost in
most cases.
The majority of Jewish children in this area still
attend public schools. For the immigrant generation
of the past, this was the shining path towards
Americanization, instilling the civic values that
afforded us the chance to participate fully and intelli-
gently in the democratic process.
They still perform that function. The patterns of
immigration may have changed, but it remains the
mission of the public schools to turn out young peo-
ple who understand our system of government and
their role in it.
It would be the height of ingratitude to turn away
from these institutions at this point in our history
and deny them the tools to give newcomers the same
advantages our forebears had in the public
schools.
There is also a more pressing issue. There
is the fear of a well-coordinated attempt by
the religious right to take control of some school
boards and introduce its Own views into the educa-
tional process. This breach in the separation of
church and state should not be allowed to take place
without a murmur of protest.
This is an essential issue because it speaks directly
to the sort of communities in which we want our
children to grow up. Informing yourself about the
views of school board candidates is a must.
At their best, the public schools are our finest labo-
ratory for diversity, an indelible introduction to other
ethnic groups and cultures. They also must remain
capable of providing a curriculum that will afford a
solid educational foundation for the rest of a career ...
and a life.
Jews should certainly remain involved in school
activities, such as PTOs and booster clubs. The Jewish
EDITO REAL
The Tightrope
I
am no longer privy to the discussions that take
place on the editorial boards of the two
Detroit dailies. But I am willing to bet they are
both pondering the same set of facts.
A recent poll indicated that Freeman Hendrix was
leading all other candidates in the race for mayor
this fall. This sent hearts racing among those who
hold out any hope for the city. Hendrix is a very
smart guy with good instincts, far and away the
most qualified candidate for the office.
But the newspapers dare not say any of that. Not
yet. They have to stay on a tightrope.
If it is perceived among the city's electorate that
the news media is climbing aboard the Hendrix
bandwagon too soon it will backfire. He will be
tagged as the suburban candidate (or, if you will,
the white candidate) and his support in the city will
disintegrate.
Both Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Sharon
McPhail will bang on the race tambourine just as
George Cantor's e-mail address is
gcantor@thejewishnews.com .
Dry Bones
BEFORE
PASSOVER NE
DREAMS ABOUT
MATZAH
AT THE END OF1
PASSOVER NE
DREAMS ABOUT
BREA D
HE DREAMS
A LOT.
www.drybonesproject.com
Community Council of Metropolitan Detroit also
runs a volunteer operation, the Detroit Jewish
Coalition for Literacy, to tutor students in less fortu-
nate districts. It is well worth getting involved in.
But the most direct means of influencing school
policies is your vote. Don't squander it on May 3. ❑
look at what General Motors has done to
hard as their hands can hit. And the mayor
open up the Renaissance Center to the
has lots of campaign funds to bang with.
water in the Winter Garden.
The dailies will almost certainly endorse
I was so enthusiastic I went back with my
Hendrix, but only after holding their cards as
wife the very next week. The two of us
long as possible. Because that's how the game
found a tiny outdoor terrace adjoining the
is played in Detroit.
restaurant, sipped our drinks and watched
I did sit in on the editorial board interview
the panorama of the river go by on a
with Kilpatrick last time. He got the
sparkling April afternoon.
endorsement out of desperation. The alterna-
GEO RGE
Earlier in the month, I went to the Tigers'
tives were even worse. That pretty much
CAN TOR
opener on another flawless spring day.
describes how he's governed, too. Time maga-
Re lity
There are few happy memories at this ball-
zine's rating of him at the bottom of big city
Check
C'
park and my affection for it is muted. But
mayors is right on the mark.
on this afternoon, with the city cheering
It doesn't have to be this way.
hungrily for a winner, and the stadium packed, and
Sometimes, I'm afraid I get too negative about
the sun beaming down ... maybe it was the first
Detroit. There is so much potential here. But it will
opener there that mattered.
never be realized unless someone is willing to spend
That may be the core of the problem. An entire
his political capital by taking on the public employ-
generation has reached adulthood with nothing
ees' unions and refusing to knuckle under to the
good to remember about downtown.
race pimps.
It is no longer desolate. It has come a long way.
I led a Detroit tour for Hadassah last month.
Memories are waiting to be made.
When the bus emerged from the Lodge onto
What it lacks is the leadership that can face its sit-
Jefferson Avenue, with the RenCen and Hart Plaza
uation honestly and openly. Maybe Detroit's voters
and the river and the skyline all coming into view, it
will finally think so, too. ❑
was glorious.
We had lunch at Seldom Blues and I got my first
J21
4/28
2005
37