ASHLAND RECALL
WE DESERVE BETTER!
Ashland citizens reside in a democratic society and thus have reasonable expectations of their elected officials, foremost among them trust between citizens and elected officials. That trust has been broken regarding the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commissioners.
WHO WE ARE
We started as a group of citizens shocked by the actions and methods that Ashland Parks and Recreation was using to dismantle the integrated social services of the Senior Center Programs. As we looked closer we saw that it may affect Ashland in many other areas of parks and recreation. It was evident that the Commissioners were on the wrong path for the best interests of Ashland citizens. When our voices were ignored, the recall was initiated. We hope that you will join this effort.
WHAT WENT WRONG
Parks and Recreation Commissioners
Mike Gardiner
Jim Lewis
Rick Landt
RECALL
Recall Election is on!
Recall now so that we can get three new commissioners who will:
- seek, listen and respect community input before making changes
- manage the budget much better to ensure Ashland's financial stability
- maintain well what we have before expanding or creating new programs
- restore the local senior social services' safety net
Signatures Verified!
Feb. 27, 2018 Press Conference Regarding Campaign
Recall not passed by approximately 70% against and 30% favored. Low turnout, 5,804 out of 15,197 eligible voters (38%) casted a ballot.
On behalf of Ashland Recall and Ashland SOS (Support Our Seniors) we want to thank the Ashland public for participating in the democratic process, that is, coming out in the thousands to sign the recall petitions, and voting in this important recall election. We also want to thank the many seniors and community volunteers who have worked tirelessly to give the citizens of Ashland this opportunity to vote and to use their voices.
Ashland Recall and Ashland SOS have raised serious issues for the public to consider and has forced the elected officials to be more transparent.
We are not going away, and will continue to shine the spotlight on actions that affect citizens. We are truth seekers and will continue to disseminate the truth in local government.
The truth is that before this recall, APRC Commissioners were ignoring public input on deeply important issues. The projected budget deficit of $5.9 million, now apparently adjusted to $600,000, was NOT being revealed to the public, or even being considered problematic, until Ashland Recall shined a spotlight on it with this recall election. Think about this: Parks & Rec has a biennium budget of $18 million dollars and they are still going forward with a projected deficit of $600,000. This is irresponsible and disgraceful. Why did the Commissioners not take notice of this projected deficit at the time? They should have taken steps to correct the deficit before expanding programs and spending more money.
The Commissioners are threatening the sustainability of the parks system by stretching the budget thinly over new programs, and not maintaining well what we have.
The Commissioners have dismantled Ashland’s successful and efficient senior program by taking out the local social service aspect of the program. Now they are creating a more costly program that adds to administration costs at the sacrifice of direct services to seniors.
Everything Ashland Recall has stated during this recall campaign is, and has been, supported by facts and evidence based on City records, documentation, and the Commissioners’ own statements. This was never a personal vendetta against anyone; nor do we plan to personalize any difference of values in the future.
We will be watching what the elected officials actually do, rather than what they say. We have reminded the public of what the Parks Commissioners are elected to do, the amount of money they preside over and the power they wield. We will not be ignored. They are our public servants, and they do not have the right to ignore or attempt to intimidate those whom they are elected to serve.
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