Alot of people don't like to vote in the May primary because they have to declare a party. And we agree with them. It is time for Indiana to switch to an open primary which would encourage more people to come out and vote. With an open primary, you could vote for Republican, Democrat and Independent candidates without being forced to stick to one party. It would encourage new candidates to file and run. Competition is good for the soul.
Why should you vote in tomorrow's primary? Because there are important elections being held; namely, school board.
In Hammond, the school city's budget is actually more than the civil city's budget. That's equates to alot of your hard-earned dollars.
Are you happy with the direction the school city is taking?If you were a family with young children looking to purchase a home for the first time, would you move to Hammond?
Did you know the State of Indiana is taking over Hammond High next year because they have been a failing school for the past four years?
Are you aware the school city is in debt to the tune of $450 million dollars? That is more than all of the taxing units in Vanderburgh County which includes the city of Evansville. Tack on a new high school and you're looking at debt of more than half a billion dollars.
New buildings do not improve test scores. If that were the case, test scores at Eggers Middle School would be through the roof because Eggers has been rebuilt twice.
Two of the incumbents (Tina Dent and Debbie White) have been on the school board for 12 years. Is the school city any better off than they were 12 years ago? The answer is no.
So tomorrow, you have two choices. If you think everything is fine in the Hammond schools, vote for the incumbents. If you think things are not fine, vote for new leadership and give someone else the opportunity to try and turn things around.
Vote tomorrow and do it for the students of Hammond. Their future depends on it.