The following letter to the editor was submitted by Mike Meyers (photo), a local government activist. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Andover News. You can learn more about our policy on opinion and commentary on our Mission and Policies page.
The November 20 Special Town Meeting was a tremendous victory for democracy and sanity. Over 2,000 residents waited for over three hours to resoundingly reject an irresponsible $500 million school proposal. In addition, the voters overwhelmingly supported a more representative and manageable form of government.
Our legislative body also sent a very clear message: the current town leadership is out of touch and needs to change. They are completely tone-deaf to community priorities. The next initiative is the implementation of Article 7B (the $500,000 assessment and improvement plan from the town manager). The Town engaged a comprehensive 146-page feasibility study of the same building in 2014. Their recommendation was a $25 million upgrade (attached below).
Somehow that report got buried by the $500 million proponents.
The execution of the 7B plan has been stripped from the $500 million committee and handed -over to a more responsible town wide building committee. It is abundantly clear from the voters’ complete rejection of Article 7 A that no members of the Andover School Building Committee has any credibility to participate in the 7B evaluation.
Thank you once again for supporting democracy and sanity.
Mike Meyers
South Main Street
Andover News accepts and encourage reader submissions, including letters to the editor and opinion columns. Submissions should be 750 words long or fewer and Andover-focused. Please include your name, title if applicable to your topic and connection or interest in Andover. We also need a phone number so we can confirm authorship. Send us your prose!