Letters to the Editor

Updated: May 8, 2012 9:24AM

Consider all the facts

The headline and tone of the March 22 article saying that it was “north Evanston” voters who “nixed” the District 65 bond referendum oversimplify. First, the assertion isn’t mathematically correct. Nearly 2/3 of the “no” votes came from elsewhere in Evanston and Skokie. As your online map shows, “no” votes occurred districtwide.

North Evanston voters did not, alone, supply the margin by which the referendum lost. The referendum only carried in 24 of 62 precincts, including two NU precincts with almost no participation. Fewer than a dozen precincts mustered 150 “Yes” votes. Meanwhile, more than two dozen exceeded 150 “No.” If every single voter in the 6th and 7th wards (or 6th, 7th, and 1st) had stayed home on March 20, the referendum still would have failed.

Note, also, that more 6th Ward voters than 5th Ward voters cast “Yes” votes. There were more “Yes” votes from Wards 6 and 7 than from Wards 2 and 5. And over 1,000 voters skipped the question. The referendum was a little more complicated than north-south, or property value.

As the conversation continues, let’s avoid stereotyping. Any issue so potentially charged deserves the most careful discussion possible.

Jeff Smith

Evanston

Show / Hide Comments