Per Superintendent Nate Greenberg’s Press Release comments last week, "It is unfortunate that the petitioners could not seek other options to this issue of the quorum". Mr. Greenberg’s Press Release contradicts the response from the School Board meeting on September 28th where Mr. Greenberg stated, “since this is an existing charter, a court would have to decide about the quorum or a question would have to be placed on the ballot.” There were no other options and School Board Member Steve Young reiterated that by stating, “if it is challenged in the deliberative session that is one time line, but if there is a question on the ballot and the townsfolk uphold the quorum there is still the question of whether it is legal.” [Londonderry School District School Board; Minutes, Tuesday, September 28, 2010].
I wrote the Attorney General and obtained an legal opinion and we showed the School Board the Attorney General’s letter which was signed off by the Secretary of State and the Department of Revenue. Charter Commissioner Steve Young was present when the Assistant secretary of State and Towns Attorney said the quorum was illegal. Therefore, our answer from the school board was that a determination must be made by the courts regarding the legality of the quorum, what options did we have besides going to court?
Our Attorney sent a letter to Superintendent Nate Greenberg and Moderator John Michaels asking them to stop the illegal quorum and gave them 10 days to come up with a working solution to the illegal quorum and they refused. The School district, School Board and the School District’s Attorney were the only ones stating that the quorum was legal and they decided to stand by the illegal vote. If you knew at the time of your past ballot votes that the quorum was unconstitutional, would you have voted for the quorum?
I can tell you that I left the quorum question on the ballot blank last year because I felt it was not right.
The School District wants you to think, that we could have done a Citizen's petition. That is not true, because it would have required forcing another illegal vote on the quorum question.
In my opinion, it is time to move on and I ask that district to not come up with excuses that we could not or did not try to work with the School District when they refused to take responsibility for endorsing an illegal quorum.
Senator Carson and I will work together to find a bill that we can amend to fix the default budget issue. I will not file any legislation that puts a quorum in place, which steps on Voter’s Rights at a Deliberative session.
For many years, US Supreme Court/NH Supreme Court made many decisions protecting Voter’s Rights and we should never give up one inch of our Freedom.
"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people; it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -- lest it come to dominate our lives and interests."
Patrick Henry
The court has spoken and I am in hopes that the School District moves on in the best interest of the whole town and our Constitutional Right to Vote.
I do want to thank the many residents who stood by Former Councilor Brian Farmer, Town Councilor Chairman Sean OKeefe and me for standing up in protecting our Constitutional Right to vote.
AL Baldasaro, State Representative
