As election day draws nearer, more and more people are choosing sides on the proposed Public Safety Center in Edmond, which is great. I think this issue has had good press and many people have become very aware of the issues at hand. However, I’ve noticed something over the past week or so that disturbs me.
It seems that the proponents of this proposal have resorted to fear-mongering to get their way. Have you seen the yard signs? No? Well, if you had, you might have a feeling of fear that our city will no longer be safe if this proposal isn’t passed in it’s current form. Images of thug-laden streets and chaos throughout our city might be stirred in your mind as you read the signs, which read – very simply – ‘KEEP EDMOND SAFE – VOTE YES ON NOV 4.’ Apparently if this bill is not passed, the safety level in our city will suddenly drop below it’s current mark on November 5th. BS!
Here’s the deal – from everything I’ve read and heard, the people opposing this move (and yes, I’m one of them) aren’t asking that the Public Safety Center not be built. In fact, I’ve seen ZERO opposition to the need for this center. I fully support the building of this project as long as the cost, terms, etc are acceptable. Almost all of the opposition comes in when discussing location of said center, and the majority of the opposition seems to be in regard to the funding of this center (my stance). Do you want to pay for this improvement by raising taxes on the homeowners and business-owners in Edmond, or do you think it should be paid for by ALL who benefit from it, through another mechanism, such as a temporary sales tax increase?
So, let’s be adult about this and lose the FEAR MONGERING. If you can get this passed by being honest with the citizens of Edmond and earning their votes that way, GREAT! But if you have to resort to this type of fear-mongering to scare people into voting your way, then you’re no better than the Capitol Hill flunkies we’ll also be voting for or against on November 4th.
About Ryan Hukill
