Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle
A record number of voters from the city of Chelsea (32%) turned out to vote in today's special election to vote on a referendum to add 12.5 mills of property tax for the sole purpose of forming a new Chelsea City School system.
According to City Clerk Crystal Etheredge, the vote was 3,218 against vs. 467 for. A total of 3,685 people turned out to vote with the opposing side having 87.3% majority vote.
In a statement from Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer, the referendum has failed to pass and was defeated.
"As a Chelsea resident and a grandfather, I am disappointed that the vote has turned out as it has. However, the people, my neighbors have spoken. As the Mayor of Chelsea, I will move forward with the decision that has been made by our citizens to continue in the Shelby County School System and to partner with the Shelby County Board of Education to make our Chelsea area schools the absolute best they can be by utilizing the one cent sales tax that we currently collect for our schools. I look forward also to seeing the work of Councilman Casey Morris and Councilman Cody Sumners as they move forward with their alternative plan to improve the school facilities in our area."
Chelsea Councilman Cody Sumners said, "We have seen an impressive turnout by the citizens of Chelsea for this historic vote. The people have spoken and I look forward to working with the mayor and council to build a partnership with the SCBOE that will take our already great schools to the next level. With this divisive issue now behind us, I look forward to the citizens of Chelsea putting their best foot forward and showing that this community will emerge stronger than ever."
Chelsea Councilman Chris Grace said today was an important day for the city, and what impressed him most was the engagement of the citizens to come out and vote.
"This has always been about trying to do better; to improve our quality of life," Grace said. "The people have spoken. Now it is time for the council and the community to come back together and evaluate other options with the resources available."
Chelsea Councilwoman Tiffany Bittner said she is proud to say she was a part of a democratic process that allowed the citizens the ability to vote on such an important issue.
"I’m disappointed more people couldn’t see the potential benefits in having our own school system,” Tiffany Bittner."
Chelsea Councilman Casey Morris, who along with Sumners was against the plan, said that while the election is over the work has just begun.
"I look forward to continuing our partnerships with the City of Westover, the Shelby County Commission, and the Shelby County Board of Education as we address the issues that have been identified through this process." Morris said.
Councilman Scott Weygand said the people of Chelsea have spoken.
"I’m very proud to see the record breaking turnout and I am glad the people of Chelsea got to choose," Weygand said. "I look forward to continuing to partner with the Shelby County Board of Education to make the Chelsea schools the best they can be."
Shelby County Superintendent Dr. Lewis Brooks said he is pleased that the majority of residents in Chelsea placed their trust in the Shelby County School District to continue to provide excellent educational opportunities for their children.
"While we understand the desire that some Chelsea city leaders and residents had to create their own district, we look forward to partnering with them again to make sure that our schools in Chelsea are the best that they can possibly be," Brooks said. "This includes our commitment to providing the very best instructional resources, hiring quality teachers, staff, and administrators, as well as investing in future capital improvements."
The grass roots effort for the Vote No group were headed up by Cody Cothron. 280 Living spoke to him after the official numbers were counted and he said had this vote not come, he doesn't think most of the parents would have taken the time to dig in and know what's going on in the schools.
"I'm relieved the way the vote came out today and very proud of where we live, even more so than I was before this," Cothron said. "We were all running in different directions before the feasibility study. Now I belived the hornet's nest has been awakened and I'm excited about where we are going. It's all coming together at a perfect time to really unite our community and I'm really excited about that. There has been some division but I don't think it outweighs the unity seen in our community today."
