Hospital bond election is a home game for Midland Memorial
Because, according to the Midland County Elections Office, one of the two sites for early voting is ... Midland Memorial Hospital. Surprised me. I don't ever remember Midland Memorial being used for early voting or the general election during any election.
Worries? Yeah. I don't think hospital employees should worry about whether someone is taking notes on who voted and who didn't. It probably wouldn't happen here, but why even put yourself in the position of having to explain this decision? I'm sure the hospital is paying the tab for the election and if that is the case, officials probably want the perks like an early voting site (the college did the same before its bond election victory in 2005).
We will just be curious. Will employees get daily reminders that voting is going on within the hospital? Will certain supervisors happen to ask those who didn't vote if they are going to cast their ballot (after all it couldn't be more convenient)? We don't allow campaigning to go on within a certain distance of voting sites, so will be the building be free of all campaign material?
We ask these questions because we feel this isn't any different than if early voting for an MISD bond referendum were at the administration building, or early voting for a general election took place at Republican headquarters. And no, there isn't any truth to the idea that early voting for the next mayor's race is being held at Wes Perry's house.
I have been on the record as supporting this issue, and I think a 10-20 point victory is not out of the question. So I guess my main question is why give people a reason to think things aren't the way they should be? To me, early voting on the hospital campus makes people scratch their heads and wonder why.
But, hey, there is a positive for the rest of us. The hospital offers valet parking. What do you mean it's no longer free? The negatives totally outweigh the positives now.
Worries? Yeah. I don't think hospital employees should worry about whether someone is taking notes on who voted and who didn't. It probably wouldn't happen here, but why even put yourself in the position of having to explain this decision? I'm sure the hospital is paying the tab for the election and if that is the case, officials probably want the perks like an early voting site (the college did the same before its bond election victory in 2005).
We will just be curious. Will employees get daily reminders that voting is going on within the hospital? Will certain supervisors happen to ask those who didn't vote if they are going to cast their ballot (after all it couldn't be more convenient)? We don't allow campaigning to go on within a certain distance of voting sites, so will be the building be free of all campaign material?
We ask these questions because we feel this isn't any different than if early voting for an MISD bond referendum were at the administration building, or early voting for a general election took place at Republican headquarters. And no, there isn't any truth to the idea that early voting for the next mayor's race is being held at Wes Perry's house.
I have been on the record as supporting this issue, and I think a 10-20 point victory is not out of the question. So I guess my main question is why give people a reason to think things aren't the way they should be? To me, early voting on the hospital campus makes people scratch their heads and wonder why.
But, hey, there is a positive for the rest of us. The hospital offers valet parking. What do you mean it's no longer free? The negatives totally outweigh the positives now.
Tags: hospital-bond
Comment
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Comment by richard on April 22, 2009 at 6:41pm - I guess no one is worried about the enormous amount of this bond issue but me. In this day and age of trillions, $175 million doesn't sound like a lot but to a small town it is a lot. That's only 5-6 times larger than the stadium and we know the fiasco that has turned out to be. With the depression sure to drag out for several years, it seams reasonable to me to wait a couple of years and see where the local economy is then and revisit the bond issue. Of course, when I hang it up I'm moving to North Texas. Taxes are about 38% cheaper there.
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Comment by Ospurt on April 21, 2009 at 11:18pm - I'm more worried about directing patients and families to the voting booth rather than the employees. The polling location could have been at First Baptist or St. Ann's and the staff would have endured the same level of "vote on your break" encouragement from management.
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