Saturday's Internet Edition, May 17, 2008.
Voters Reject School Bond For Second High School - Again
|
| School bond opponents show their excitement as the final results are released showing an overwhelming response from Davie voters. - Photo by Robin Snow |
That’s the message voters sent to members of the Davie County School Board and county commissioners on Tuesday, when they - for the second time - overwhelmingly voted against a bond referendum to build a second high school in Davie County.
With nearly 53 percent of voters casting a ballot, 7,872, or 61.93 percent, said no to the $37 million bond that would build a second high school and renovate the current Davie High campus.
Of the county’s 14 voting precincts, only four - all in eastern Davie - voted in favor of the bond.
“Our work has just begun,” said Linda Mace, a member of the group Davie Citizens for a Responsible Government, which lobbied against the bond.
She had a blunt message for members of both boards.
“We expect them to listen to the people. We’ve got to lobby heavily the school board and county commissioners to do what should have been done four years ago.
“The taxpayers of Davie County have voted twice in four years and I hope both groups (DavieCares, bond proponents) can work together to make Davie High School what it’s going to be,” Mace said.
As the elections results were posted in the county courthouse, several eruptions of applause and cheers went up when precinct after precinct voted against the bond.
On the other side of the room, where a handful of bond supports were sitting, it was quiet.
Wayne Webb said it is time to move forward. He said that work needs to be done on the high school situation, and he hopes people countywide can come to a consensus.
Nancy McKay, another bond supporter, wasn’t as diplomatic.
She accused the citizen’s group of not playing fair.
“All the people who voted no voted based on a pack of lies,” she said. “They were told their taxes would go up 31 percent, and they believed that, but that’s not true. If they had won fair and square, if they had told the truth about taxes, about ... subscribe to the Davie County Enterprise Record, P.O. Box 99, Mocksville, N.C. 27028.