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Re: Thoughts of a Poll Watcher
In a message dated 5/11/2000 7:57:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
wesegil@... writes: My challenger was wearing a Remsenbutton. What is the deal? Can they be advertising their candidates right there inLouise: Each political committee can register 50 challengers. They are stationed at the polling places and have a list of voters arranged by street name and number. Their job is to make sure that everyone who comes to vote is actually a registered voter in that district. For each challenger, the election commission provides a ribbon that prominently shows the name of the candidate for whom the challenger is working. I would guess that there is no prohibition to wear a supporter's button, too, but that is a finer point that I don't have a clue about. Something about First Amendment. I know that you are not permitted to pass out campaign literature or talk to people within 100 or 200 feet of the entrance to the polling place. Each shift of challengers has its own list, which is collected periodically and entered into a central list at the candidates' campaign headquarters. At 6:00, the committees start making calls to supporters who have not voted yet. At yesterday's election, both sides were making calls, and it was amazing how many people came through who said "Gosh, I had forgotten all about voting today, but just got a call from ___" Pretty neat, huh? -- Mary |
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Re: Thoughts of a Poll Watcher
Louise and Gil Brodnitz
Thanks Mary.
My husband Gil and I were wondering about something. This is the first time we noticed Challengers at the polls and since we voted at different times they may have been different people. My challenger was wearing a Remsen button if I remember correctly, while Gil's was wearing a DeKonninck button. What is the deal? Can they be advertising their candidates right there in the polling place? Louise |
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Thoughts of a Poll Watcher
I served as a Challenger in the last municipal election. It was the first
time ever. It was a great experience -- one I recommend to anyone interested in the political process in America. The first thing that struck me was that our elections -- local, state, and national -- are tallied by incredibly low-tech methods. No electronic sign-in, no cell phones to Voter Registration headquarters, no digital anything. Voters show up, they say their name and their address, they look them up in a book or on a list, then they sign their name. Yes, their signatures have to bear a reasonable resemblance to their signature from the one they registered with (sometimes 20 years+ ago...) but other than that there seems little but trust to say that this or that voter is really who they say they are. In our fluid society, there are many voters who have moved from the residence they had at the last election. Those folks wander around (at least in Hillside school, where there are 4 voting districts) looking for the right spot to vote. Sometimes, the records didn't make it in time. They vote as "provisionals," and have to manually fill out a ballot. Sometimes folks are frustrated because they can't find the right polling place. But for those who have been coming to the same place for years, it is a great experience. The people from the Election Commission, many of whom have done this job for years (some are children of past election officials, some long dead) are dedicated individuals who think of what they do is a great trust. The election process -- where the People make their choices for who will govern them -- is sacred to them. Well, at least in Montclair, I think. When the polls close, the machines (which I do not think have changed in design in 50 years....) are sealed with a little metal tape and the officials crank out the sheet that has all the numbers on it. Standing around the machines are representatives from both slates (or parties) and, in a national election, there are people who have been enlisted by the national news services -- AP, UPI -- who are ready to run to the nearest phone and call in the results to a central 800 number. As I sat there, greeting my neighbors and seeing many faces that I have never seen before (some who live only a few houses away), I was filled with a sense of community. Nope, we didn't support the same people, nor did we necessarily agree on ANYTHING. But here we were, trusting in this low-tech, manual process that would determine who would guide our destiny for the next four years. Amazing. I loved it. I recommend it to anyone who wants to see what and who your town is really made of. Mary K |
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Montclair Election Results
Here are the unofficial tallies from the Town Hall reports phoned in:
Mayor: Bob Russo (Adv Mtc) - 2923 William Farlie (MB2K) - 2600 At Large: Albertus Jenkins (Adv Mtc) - 2831 Theresa Aurora O'Connell (Adv Mtc) - 2662 Joyce Michaelson (MB2K) - 2626 Florence Denning (MB2K) - 2556 1st Ward: Gerry Tobin (Adv Mtc) - 880 Rob Bianco (MB2K) - 865 2nd Ward: Edward Remsen (MB2K) - 795 Jessica DeKoninck (Adv Mtc) - 766 3rd Ward: Don Zief (MB2K) - 539 Adriana O'Toole (Adv Mtc) - 457 4th Ward: Charles Smith (Adv Mtc) - 556 Sandra Land (Ind.) - 534 (Sorry, do not have figures for the other independent candidates at this time, but Smith has been declared the winner) |
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elections, a final note
Kevin Allen
Many of us on this list know each other, some know just a few.
The critical issue, to me, is that I would like to encourage everyone to exercise their right to vote in tomorrow's election. Municipal elections have poor turn out and it is on this level that we can most readily affect our government. Each of us can contact our councilor or Mayor and have impact on the issues. That first impact is first felt in the voting booth. Many of us on this list are active in the community. And we will disagree. What is wonderful about our system is that we can disagree and then meet at Tierneys, The Office or Cafe Eclectic and have a good time around our common ground. Whoever wins tomorrow, they know that they will have my support, and Mary's and Joyce's as we all confront the issues that are important to us. Decisions in local elections are difficult, we know the candidates as our neighbors and friends. And it should be clear (I think I can speak for mary here) that we do not view any candidate in a bad way, they are all dedicated volunteers who have contributed countless hours to the greater good. I personally thank every candidate for their work, past, present and future. Please vote tomorrow, everyone should have received a sample ballot, if you do not know where your polling place is located, call the township clerk's office at 509.4900 I should have attached a .WAV file of Kate Smith singing "God Bless America" -- Kevin Allen Principal Designer Kevin Lee Allen Design, Incorporated klad@... 973.744.6352.v 201.280.3841.c |
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Re: Welcome, Charter members!
Kevin Allen
Ed Remsen certainly understands the Jitney concept, has had proported
that idea through grants awarded to The Montclair Farmers Market which has run a Saturday Jitney for one or two years. The downtown merchants also created a Jitney service during several holiday seasons. All are corct that this concept must be institutionalized, each has run just long enough to catch on, but not long enough for the service to become habit for the users. My own approach would be to redefine the work week for the senior shuttle and open it to all on Saturdays. Maybe it could grom from there, maybe the senior shuttle could always be open to all? Parking in Montclair has been an issue since the 1930's when the first decks were proposed. The concept for the deck/retail area promoted by the MEDC (created by Ed Remsen) is a welcome addition to the town center, as it will create street traffic in and around the deck and a mews just off Church Street. Adding charm to an area we all agree is one of our most charming. None of these issues are simple and they all need to be addressed in both grand vision and simple experiments. Ed Remsen has been working on both levels, selflessly, for many years. -- Kevin Allen Principal Designer Kevin Lee Allen Design, Incorporated klad@... 973.744.6352.v 201.280.3841.c |
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Re: Welcome, Charter members!
In a message dated 5/8/2000 4:11:13 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
wesegil@... writes: << more parking means more traffic congestion, and creates more problems than it solves (he wants a self-supporting transit system to reduce the need for driving around town) Why was I tense? He's running in my ward against Jessica DeKonninck, about whose candidacy I had previously been unequivocal... Never fear -- a big plank on Adriana's (CBD is her territory) platform is the creation of a jitney service in Montclair, which is supported by the entire Advance Montclair team. She prefers to see that than building all these parking decks without trying something less intrusive and more pedestrian friendly first. (Adriana would tell you herself, but she has been trying to sign on to the list called "MtcWatercolour" and is having a bit of a problem. I am sure she will be here presently...) I will send you my comments to Kevin's original post back channel -- it started as a "quasi-private" conversation not really intended for the airwaves. If he likes, K can send you his side, too. Mary |
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Re: Welcome, Charter members!
Louise and Gil Brodnitz
Well, I'll jump in. I'm Louise Brodnitz, a member of the Montclair Historic
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Preservation Commission, and architect (currently not working for pay, I have a ten-month-old son, and a 6-year old daughter) and and as I said in my profile, I'm also halfway through my Master of City and Regional Planning at Rutgers. I am quite very interested in "smart growth" planning which dovetails nicely with my historic preservation background. I also go to the Montclair Connection Monitoring Committee meetings and am the informal liaison between that committee and the MHPC. I had a very tense moment when I realized that of all the candidates who mentioned the so-called 'parking problem' in town, there was only one candidate who seems to understand that more parking means more traffic congestion, and creates more problems than it solves (he wants a self-supporting transit system to reduce the need for driving around town) Why was I tense? He's running in my ward against Jessica DeKonninck, about whose candidacy I had previously been unequivocal... I'd love to hear some of the dialog between you, Mary and Kevin, regarding the two slates, particularly if any about Ed Remsen, preferably before tomorrow! Louise Brodnitz I'd love to hear some of the dialog between you, Mary and Kevin, about the two slates for the election. ----- Original Message -----
From: "Mary Krugman" <MDK10@...> To: <MtcWatercooler@...> Sent: Monday, May 08, 2000 8:48 AM Subject: [MtcWatercooler] Welcome, Charter members! The charter members of the Watercooler have signed on successfully, |
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Welcome, Charter members!
Mary Krugman
The charter members of the Watercooler have signed on successfully,
so here are your collegues: Kevin Allen (klad) Jessica DeKoninck (JESSICAdeK) Adriana O'Toole (AOT) Louise Dunford Brodnitz (wesegil) Round Hill Associates (roundhillassoc) Mary Krugman (MDK10) I hope you will each take the time to introduce yourself to everyone. I will start it off...although you all know me, this list is archived, so others can catch up later. Mary Krugman - I am a historic preservation consultant in Montclair and also maintain a website that markets historic properties. I am also the elusive Round Hill Associates, the name of another part of my business having to do with photography, fine arts, and digital imaging. I am active in a number of national and international organizations related to preservation, as well as the Montclair Historical Society. I served as Chair of the Montclair Historic Preservation Commisson during its early (tumultuous) period,which is how I got to know many wonderful (and some very difficult)people around town. That's how I got to know all of you! I also moderate two listservs in addition to Watercooler - one for members of the preservation industry, and one for a planning committee for a national group I serve with -- both are pretty far- flung, so this website has been really great for us. This whole idea of the Watercooler has been percolating in my brain for some time now, but this weekend I decided that its time had come. Kevin (who supports Beyond Montclair) sent an email to members of his "klad joke listserv" asking for folks to vote for BM, and why not to vote for Advance Montclair, the group I support. I replied to it -- and to all the other members of his list. We jousted back and forth a couple of times, subjecting all of Kevin's friends to what was a really interesting (well, for me anyway) and frank discussion on the election. Finally, we decided to save Kevin's friends from our blathering, and it ended. However, I gotta say... it was one of the few times in my entire political experience in Montclair that I have ever participated in a quasi-public discussion as frank as that. It was really refreshing. I think it would be really valuable if we could all do that more often. Now I love Kevin and Kathy. I enjoy their company very much. Kevin and I have worked together on some projects with the Historical Society. However -- and this may be an understatement here -- we don't always agree. The fact that he was one of the first to respond to my invitation is a sure sign that disagreeing with someone is not fatal to a friendship (well, I hope it is a sign of that, Kevin...). So, in an effort to save Kevin's friends from further abuse, and yet enjoy a really good verbal tussle, Watercooler was launched. Adriana and Jessica may not be able to spend much time online until after the election, when they will have a more relaxed schedule as they prepare to assume office on July 1. But I look forward to more folks joining over the next several weeks, which should make the discussion pretty interesting. If you have friends who live and/or work in town who you think might be interested in joining this group, please invite them. Or let me know and I can invite them (I have the computer generated version). Our URL, if they want to check us out: So, who's next? Mary |
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Why the Watercooler?
Mary Krugman
For a long time, many of us who live and work in Montclair have been
sharing ideas about town affairs over the back fence. It is sometimes difficult to learn about what the larger community is thinking. Meetings of the Council, the Planning Board, Zoning Board and other bodies are often at night and difficult for many of us to attend on a regular basis. The Montclair Times -- our only local newspaper -- tries to keep citizens informed and room for letters to the editor, but space is limited and often we are left hungry for more information. Our local volunteer cable station broadcasts some town meetings, but there is a long lag time between the dates the meetings are held and when they appear on the air and -- although the volunteer effort is greatly appreciated -- the sound quality makes it difficult to hear the proceedings and the programs never seem to appear at a time when many of us tend to turn on the TV. As a result, there is an information gap as far as local issues are concerned. Enter the Watercooler. Here interested folks can discuss their interests and concerns as much (or as little) as they like. You can even just sit by and listen ... although it is much more fun to participate. All viewpoints can be shared on a timely basis. Watercooler is a fully moderated list, which means that inappropriate language, personal or damaging comments, or other kinds of destructive material will not be posted to the list. Yes, it's me who will filter this material, so you are going to have to trust me on this.... I will do my best. If you have a problem with anything, let me know immediately. I will take steps to try to correct it. Finally, membership in this list is governed by the Terms of Service posted on the eGroups site -- our host. Please make sure that you read it. You will locate it through the eGroups homepage, I expect opinions on this list will range across a wide spectrum, reflecting Montclair's essential nature as a diverse community. Most of all, I hope that this will serve to bring us together in a positive way. So, enjoy yourself, respect your neighbors, and bring your ideas to the Montclair Watercooler. I look forward to your participation. Mary Krugman Moderator |
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