Letter To The Editor – The BCS Petition

To The Editor:
There seems to be some misconceptions about the petition that was presented to the Berlin Central School Board at their September meeting. First of all, the Board members were not aware of the petition prior to the fact. A group of concerned citizens started it on their own. Also, [Board Member] John Nash didn’t want to listen to public comment until after they voted on the bond. He was very strong on his opinion. There was a compromise, and the public was allowed to speak just prior to the vote.
The petition was signed by close to 300 people. All signatures had to be turned in by September 11 to the group or committee that started the petition. On September 12, some concerned people got together with the signed petitions. We composed the letter that is being called a “cover letter.” This was not meant to be a cover letter for the petition. It was just an extra measure that we took on our own. We did not believe that the “blame” for the “cover letter” would be placed on the people who signed the petition. They had no knowledge of this letter until the Board meeting. They were only signing a petition that stated that they were tired of the bond being turned down every month. They felt that we should move on.
I go to all the School Board meetings that I can. I have listened to all of the members. I haven’t heard Alan Webster, Jr. state any reason why he votes no so I don’t know where he stands. He has spoken very intelligently on other issues so I feel he must have his reason for saying no on the bond issue. However, John [Nash] and Beverly [Stewart] have spoken A LOT. Each time, it gets more confusing. They seem to change their stories monthly along with their no votes. I can’t honestly say that I understand what they think. Do they spend the whole month thinking up additional reasons, or are they just saying the same thing a different way?
JoAnn Kellar
Berlin, New York