Will We Create a New Democracy - The Two Vote, Losers System

I continue to be amazed at the back and forth around the Police issue. Elections throughout America's history have been decided by incredibly slim majorities but the losers have not, to my knowledge, gotten a new vote because they lost by a small margin. In Senates, Houses of Representatives and Town Councils all over our country, those vital issues too, are often decided by one vote, yet there is no process for a revote. That is our Democratic system and that is how it works

Losing a vote by a small margin is tough. I'm reminded of George Bush's result in Florida; in that vote, a Presidential election for 300,000,000 citizens was decided by 2000 votes and a few hanging chads. Al Gore, the loser, cared enough about our country to refuse to create a continuing national nightmare - a decision I reluctantly agreed with. In that case, the court said that,

"revote"--i.e., a special election remedy--is categorically illegal...regardless of the severity of the electoral problems occurring on election day".

If we surrender to our revote proposal, we will create a New Democracy, - The Two Vote, Losers System - in which losers get to have a revote and it will apply equally to all outcomes and all sides. That would double the cost of our elections, double the time our candidates have to spend visiting, and then re-visiting our homes, double the cost to the candidate of creating collateral materials and double the time it would take to get a decision. That means when we have our next Town Council election, we would either have the first vote in June so that the second, contested vote could take place in the legal framework for November, or we could just have a six month, "Lame duck" Town Council until the official revote takes place in January or February.

I would ask the losers in this election to understand what it is they are creating; this door does not simply open once. Once opened, it does not close. If we negate the system that has sustained our country for two hundred years, if we negate the votes of a majority of citizens, we will have set a precedent that will suck this town dry politically, emotional and culturally. I believe the people who care about the Police Force would be the first among us to say they care about Copake. If you care about Copake, I would ask you to take your heads out of the sand and look at the big picture. It may not be the losers intention to see our town divided like some mini Civil War but that is what they will get. If the losers don't see that, I hope the new Town Council does because what will happen in our meetings for years to come will make the previous administration's acrimony look like a walk in the park.

Ian Jarvis

I feel I know Copake better then most places

Wonderful letter, thank you.   Even though I do not live there or never visited, I feel I know the town better then most places.   You bring so much insight and feeling into The Chronicle it is easy and fun to follow the  heartbreaks and joys of Copake.

Merry Christmas and a Happy and HEALTHY New Year to you and Carol.

Howard Sullivan

Palm Coast, FL

The Majority Voted For No Police Force

I read the Columbia paper and I see that Ms. LeBrecht is coming up with reasons why we need to have a revote for a very expensive police force that no other town in our area thinks they need. She says the Copake voters were confused.

It occurs to me that if I were a real estate person the police might possibly help me to sell weekend houses to uninformed and totally mislead second homes owners around the lake.

The vote was taken the people spoke, and the majority voted for no police force. The resolution was in the Chronicle at least three times. Sachs made sure to explain the issue and he showed exactly what the question was to over 1,300 Copake voters. He even showed what it would look like. What was so hard to understand? Yes, dissolve the police. Duh, are we a stupid town or are we just a corrupt town.

The people who are calling for a revote are disingenuous and I think that they are even dangerous. They are willing to destroy democracy as we understand it for their own personal needs and issues.

This town cannot afford a private very part-time police force for $100,000 a year.

The people voted please respect the democratic policy of Copake, New York and the USA.

Tim Waldman