Yesterday a referendum was held to decide the fate of a patch of land in Fairfield. Even though the majority of voters were in favor of the referendum, the referendum failed to receive enough votes to be enacted. So it dies.
I witnessed quite a bit of back and forth arguments over this issue on Facebook, other local blogs and in the newspapers. Some of these arguments became personal and nasty. However, despite all this passion, only about 10% of registered voters in town went out and voted. By definition this is a #FAIL . The Town Charter requires that 25% of registered Town voters need to vote no.
So why did so few people show up to vote, either for or against the referendum? Look no further than the economic principle of opportunity costs. I did some back of the envelope calculations and found that the average taxpayer in town would see an increase of $9 in their tax bill. Since this is bonded, the amount would be spread over 10 years. That cost is negligible to most taxpayers, so the time spent driving to the polls is time, or opportunity lost. The other cost of this referendum, as with most referendums, is negative impact to property values. This is a perceived cost. That perceived cost is worth the drive to the polls to vote. It may be so great as to call RTM members, call other voters or start a petition.
However, since the affected neighborhood is relatively small compared to the overall voter base, the referendum is doomed to fail. Some refer to this as apathy, but it’s really not emotional as that. As the opportunity cost increases for all voters, the referendum’s failure diminishes. If the next referendum cost each voter $1000, you would see far greater turnout to vote.
Considering this, our town’s referendum guidelines need to take into consideration this principle. The RTM is charged with voting on expenditures in Fairfield, and when an expenditure such as this comes along a referendum is a slap in the face to that governing body. We elect the RTM, five for each district, to represent our needs to the town as a whole. Call your district RTM members, here are their phone numbers. When we hold a referendum that’s a fraction of 1% of the Town’s overall budget, we’re chipping away at the authority we have given the RTM.
BTW – to all my faithful readers, don’t believe the rumors other local blogs are spreading, HeyFairfield is alive and well. As school starts up again, my time will free up and I’ll be back in the groove. Thanks for your continued support, Ed
The Founding Fathers felt one of the important principles for a Republic to succeed is the willingness of the individual to sacrifice his private interest for the good of the community.
Failure to do so brings into question the ability to self govern. Nationally and locally, our Founding Fathers would say we have failed.