Thursday, November 5, 2009

Play fair or don't play at all


I have been hearing stories from several folks about friends and relatives who signed the petition after being misled as to what it was all about.

While I realize that folks should read what it is they are signing for many do not and now that they realize what it was and how they were misled I am all in favor of them being allowed to remove their signature.


Some regret signing petition

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Residents continue to pencil their signatures on a petition to force a bond election for the proposed downtown county justice center. But Comal County officials are now asking residents who’ve changed their minds to think about pulling out an eraser.

Citing complaints from residents who said they weren’t given all the facts by petition circulators, Comal County Judge Danny Scheel is asking anyone who feels they’ve made a mistake in signing to send affidavits to the county to have their names stricken from the petition.

“The last couple of days, people have approached myself and commissioners asking how to get their names off of there,” said Comal County Judge Danny Scheel. “If you feel you were mistaken or not given all the facts, I would encourage you to take your name off the petition.”

County Commissioners voted in mid-October to forgo a bond election and begin the process of issuing debt to pay for construction of a $36 million justice center to be built on Seguin Avenue between Bridge and Zink streets.

Petitioners who would like to see a bond election have been gathering signatures, hoping to collect the more than 3,300 necessary to put it on a May 2010 ballot. The signatures must be gathered and verified by the county voter registrar by Nov. 17.

Scheel said residents have complained they’re being misled by petition circulators, or not given sufficient information to make an informed decision.

“One woman was told that if she signed the petition, her taxes would go down,” Scheel