Thursday, 22 June 2017 21:11

Marty Hogan's High School Vote Statement Featured

 

                                                                                                                                                                                June 22, 2017

My Fellow Neighbors,

 

I am very disappointed by the vote of the city Council Tuesday night to build a new high school at the Cawley Stadium site. Tuesday’s vote was too hasty, too political, and too costly.

 

Once again, we've witnessed first-hand how politics and the special interests of councilors hailing from the Belvidere neighborhood have led to a decision that isn't in the best interests of everyone in Lowell.I'm running for city council to change that and to give everyone in our city – everyone from all different neighborhoods – a seat at the table when important decisions like this one are made.

 

Had I been a member of the city council last night, I most likely would have voted to renovate the existing high school downtown. The information I have seen tends to indicate that a high school downtown is in the long-term best financial interest of our city, and that it also makes sense to have a central location to which students can walk.

 

However, more importantly, had I been a member of the city council last night I would have urged my colleagues to delay a vote on this important issue until the city had answers to more questions surrounding this plan, most notably the amount of state reimbursement we can expect to receive.

 

I also would have given more consideration to the citizens' petition to place this question before the voters. I believe a referendum is appropriate. Unlike our current city councilors, I trust the people of Lowell to make a decision that's best for them.

 

I urge the members of the city council to reconsider their vote and to postpone further action on this project until there is more solid information and until the question can be submitted to the voters.

 

Read 5889 times Last modified on Friday, 23 June 2017 21:58