George,

Please let the word go out about the meetings that we are having starting this week:

The School Board Election Study Task Force will hold an important public meeting at 7:30pm on Thursday, May 18th, 2006 in City Hall Council Chambers to get the public’s opinions on ward-based versus at – large school board elections. The task force, appointed by City Council, has been meeting since March of 2006 to evaluate the merits of different ward models and will present them in a report to Council by July 17, 2006. The forum will be held in the City Council Chambers in City Hall. The event is free and open to the public and media. Members of the public wishing to comment are asked to sign up with a 3 minute time limit at the front of the room prior to the meeting. For those not able to attend the meeting, there will be a phone number to call in questions as well as 2 other public hearings. They will be at Buford Middle School on May 30, 2006 at 7:30 pm and Walker Upper Elementary School on May 31, 2006 at 7:30 pm.

There will be various maps of different suggestions for wards -- a 2-ward model, a 3-ward model, a 4-ward model, a 6-ward model and a 7-ward model. The maps will be up by 7:00 PM for inspection.

I believe that the Republicans will be out in force at these meetings. I don't know that there will be a distinct "Republican" stance on the issue any more than there has been a distinct "Democratic" stance on it, but experience teaches that those who come to these meetings are folks who want a change, and I expect that Democrats are more likely to be comfortable with the current structure than Republicans are. Even if you don't want to push for a change -- if you thought things went along fine this last time and you'd like to see it continue -- please come out and express yourself.

There will also be an opportunity for public comment by e-mail or through the website of the Registrar of Voters (though that is not yet set up).

Even if people have no particular plan that they want to back, we'd like to know how they feel about some value judgments:

a. Should we have wards at all?

b. Should we have more smaller wards, or fewer larger wards?

c. How about a system with two wards, each one of which might elect 3 members at large?

d. Should we try to create a ward in the south part of town that has a majority of African-Americans?

I hope that folks will come talk to us. Can you please pass the word?

Lloyd Snook (electronic mail, May 15, 2006)