On this website we post submissions from our readers, sort of like a letter to the editor. In this letter, Judy Hill shares her thoughts about the library vote...
Liberty and Justice for All--Not!
Liberty and Justice for All--Not!
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." According to Webster's Dictionary, the meaning of the word Republic is, "a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law." The Middleport Library trustees recite the Pledge of Allegiance before every board meeting, and yet they are determined to take the vote away from Royalton Hartland School District voters for the second time in less than a year! The first time was June 2011, when trustees of the village library pretended their library was a District library, and they held a funding vote separate from the School budget vote to levy an additional tax of $103,000 on the entire School District. A large portion of the tax is intended for pay raises. The library trustees pretended they were a taxing authority, but they are a private corporation. Friends of the library received a notice by mail about the vote, but District residents did not and were not even aware that this vote took place. The vote was taken by paper ballot at the library without a voter sign-in log. This all conflicts with District by-laws.
After receiving their School tax bill, concerned District taxpayers conducted extensive research on library funding procedures using NYS government and NYS Education Department websites. Information was also taken from the Handbook for Library Trustees of NYS, Chapter on Ethics. Comparing the Middleport library vote to other library votes, revealed so many abnormalities that a group of taxpayers sent complaint letters to the Attorney General's Public Integrity Bureau who is supposed to work with the NYS Comptroller on these type of issues. Senator George Maziarz was also informed, and he sent a letter to the Commissioner of Education. While we waited (and are still waiting) for our elected officials and representatives to do their job on behalf of the taxpayers, we proceeded to gather signatures to get our vote back. The only way to get our vote regarding library funding was to follow the law and submit a new proposition with signatures. The Board of Education accepted our new proposition and placed it on the May 15 ballot. Now the library trustees are attempting to prevent District residents from voting on our new proposition. It does not get much worse than this for taxpayers and voters! Our voting rights are being stripped away by a private corporation.
If our new proposition stays on the ballot, voting "yes" on it will not close the Middleport library. The library has endowment funds as well as donations and many friends who could donate their time. Voting "yes" will correct a great injustice that was inflicted upon the residents/taxpayers/voters of the Royalton Hartland School District. Our nation stands for liberty and justice for ALL--not just for the friends of the library. The rest of the "body of citizens" want our vote that we are entitled to!
Judy Hill
Gasport
