YES for WMHS is not a sure thing

Published in the Wakefield Daily Item, March 9, 2023.

We’ve all heard the philosophical riddle: “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Well, I’m no philosopher and I don’t know the answer. But I do know the answer to a similar question: “If someone has an opinion on an issue, perhaps even a strong one, but doesn’t vote, will their opinion make a difference?”

The answer to this second question is: no.

There have been lots of positive voices weighing in on the March 11 Special Election vote to build a new Wakefield Memorial High School. Indeed, there is no need for me to recite again the reasons we need a new high school. Those have been well-established and repeated many times in the Wakefield Daily Item and elsewhere by parents, friends and neighbors, educational and town leaders, citizens of all kinds. The case for voting yes is clear and compelling.

But we do need to guard against complacency. Just because voices in favor have predominated in these pages does not mean this thing is in the bag. If you’ve been in this town long enough, or paying attention to politics at any level, you have seen more than once how a well-organized and motivated minority can win the day against an important cause, no matter how righteous or justified it may be.

It was gratifying to see the amazing turnout, and the overwhelming yes vote, at Town Meeting – a powerful indicator of how the people of Wakefield feel about this issue. But there are some who say that many folks who are against the new high school didn’t bother to show up at the meeting, knowing the likely outcome in favor. Who knows if there is any truth to this notion, but we should take no chances.

Every person who voted YES for WMHS at Town Meeting should feel great about participating, despite those who complain about people showing up only for important issues or who grouse about having to wait a bit while the massive numbers of Wakefield residents who care about education and the future of the town were registered and seated. (These crochety folks complain when people don’t come; they complain when people come – perhaps they just like to complain?)

And now, every person who voted yes at Town Meeting needs to make sure that every registered voter in their household will vote yes on March 11 at Galvin Middle School. Text or email your friends. Remind them when you see them around town this week. Offer to bring them to the polls if they don’t have a ride. Post on social media.

And remember, if you’re not able to vote at the Galvin on March 11, you can vote in person at the Town Clerk’s office on the first floor of Town Hall (1 Lafayette Street) today from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or Friday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Your vote is your voice. Make sure your voice is heard by voting YES for WMHS and for Wakefield’s future.

© Jeff Kehoe