BENTONVILLE — You didn't need a crystal ball to foresee the outcome of Tuesday's election in Fayetteville. You only needed the local newspaper.
Our sister paper in Fayetteville, the Northwest Arkansas Times, pushed hard on its opinion page to persuade residents to vote for the 4.9-mill property-tax increase that would have raised $116 million to build a new high school. The editorial board made as good a case as could be made.
Elsewhere in the paper, however, there were clear signs of discontent with the proposal.
For at least several days leading up to Tuesday, a quarter-page ad ran with the heading "Vote Against TAX Sept.
15." It depicted a check written to the Fayetteville School Board for $116 million, with "no oversight" written in the memo line. It listed numerous facts and "unanswered questions" related to the highschool issue.
"Let's not surrender to a poor plan for a needed school out of desperation for change," the ad stated. The ad was paid for by James Laubler of Fayetteville, who described himself as an "active participant in the TEA Party movement."
Then there was this ad that ran Tuesday - smaller than Laubler's, but eye-catching nonetheless: "Please vote NO today! Enough is enough," it roared.
Opposition showed up in letters to the editor, too. Last Sunday, of the 13 millage-related letters that the Times published, five were against it.
Yes, there were ads and letters in favor of the project, too, but anytime the negativity is as palpable as it was in the run-up to this election, you know that defeat is almost certain. The only surprise about the result - 59 percent voted against the millage - was that it didn't fail worse than it did.
People had various reasons for voting no, as Times columnist Jess Smith pointed out last week. But the biggest reason had to be the price tag.
Even in a town like Fayetteville, which leans left politically, that $116 million was too much to swallow - especially for just one school, and especially at this time.
Then there's the general mood of the country right now. All this fright about President Obama's health-care plan, combined with bailout and stimulus fatigue, has taxpayers on edge. They don't even want to think about more taxes or more spending.
What does this mean for the Bentonville School District, which appears likely to makea bid of its own next year for a tax increase for new facilities?
I wouldn't try to read too much into the Fayetteville result. We're talking about two different cities, one that's growing and one that is basically static. There's also no telling yet what Bentonville's proposal will be or how much it will cost. Even the economy could be radically different than it is today, whenever Bentonville goes on the ballot.
One key to Bentonville's success will be how many parents get to the polls. Another key will be how well the district communicates its needs to the community. Here's a thought: Move all the polling places to one of those trailers - er, portable classrooms - that are necessary at schools across the district because of overcrowding. Maybe that would get the message across?
Rant of the week
Can we officially retire the expression "it is what it is"?
I know I'm not the first person to complain about this. If Congress can find time to discipline a member for shouting during the president's speech, surely it can pass a resolution banning "it is what it is."
Professional athletes and coaches are largely to blame for its proliferation, but everyone from Britney Spears to George W. Bush has been guilty of using it.
Example: Commenting last month on the addition of quarterback Brett Favre to his team, Minnesota Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said, "Brett Favre is a different player. He's a Hall of Fame player.
: He's here. It is what it is."
As opposed to it not being what it is. Thanks for clearing that up, Visanthe.
I think the phrase has caught on because of its Zenlike quality; people feel like they're saying something profound, even if they know deep down they're really saying nothing at all.
In 2006, William Safire wrote an interesting column for The New York Times on this topic.
Go ahead, Google it.
Reader, I'll say a lot of things in this column, but I promise I'll never tell you that something is what it is. I trust you can figure that out for yourself.
◊◊ ◊
Dave Perozek is opinion page editor of The Benton County Daily Record. His column appears on Sundays. Reach him at (479) 271-3754 or [email protected].
Opinion, Pages 14 on 09/20/2009