I can’t call this override election, but I will be fascinated by the results.

One of the odd things that has happened to me as a blogger, is that I have become more interested in the process of how things develop and unfold than feeling passionately about an issue one way or another.

This is very new.

No matter what happens on Tuesday, May 22, 2007, VOTING DAY, the debate about education in Newburyport, MA has come to the forefront as one of the city’s important issues.

And I don’t think this issue is going to go away.

If the pro-override folks lose, the issue will most likely be on the November ballot.

And if the pro-override folks win, it would be my guess that we could see an “under-ride” on the November ballot.

I think one of the worst thing that could happen would be for apathy to set in and for us as a city and to have “education memory loss.”

And one of my great hopes is for folks on both sides of the issue to join forces and fight for educational funding and reform on the state level. With any luck (and a lot of hard work), Massachusetts Stand for Children stand.org/ma could be a great boon to Newburyport, MA.

And one of my other great hopes is that some of the pro-override folks could become involved in the political process in Newburyport, MA, beside this one particular political issue (can you imagine all this energy going into a fight for new fire trucks?) There are some very smart, savvy, well educated folks here. They may be a little green about how the Newburyport political system thing works. But, hey, as far as I am concerned, it’s Ok to be on a political learning curve, as long as it’s a real true learning curve.

My experience is that most folks start being part of the political process with one issue in mind. Sort of like entering a forest and focusing on one particular tree. And then what usually seems to happen is that folks start to look around and realize that there is a forest, and in fact, there are a whole lot of trees. And then, often I’ve observed that people start to see how large and complex the forest is, and how the trees are in relationship to each other.

Oh, good grief, I’m beginning to sound like the fellow in the movie “Being There” (this dates me big time, but it was a great movie).

I’ll stop talking now about the forest, tree thing. Got a little carried away there. (The frogs like the tree thing, but then they would, they’re frogs.)

But right now, the most important thing for the city of Newburyport is to get out and VOTE on Tuesday, May 22, 2007. Not to sit on the apathetic sidelines and be “political couch potatoes.” (If you are reading the Newburyport Blog, you are probably not a “political couch potato,” but there may be a “political couch potato” near you.)

This election effects everyone in Newburyport, MA, so get out there and get your friends, neighbors, family and you to the voting booth in your ward, next Tuesday, May 22, 2007.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport