We're All Bozos on this Bus

Being from a certain generation, I remember an irreverent comedy troupe,  Firesign Theatre, which was popular when I voted for the first time. Their comedy  actually was very clever, with some out-there satire, back in the 70s. The fourth album (remember those?) was named, “I Think We’re All Bozos on this Bus”. The phrase stuck with me and I have used it many times over the years.

You may wonder why I am writing about them at this particular time, and referencing ridiculous people (Bozos) near an election day in Lake County. Well, maybe one Bozo in Gurnee on that bus was dropped off at the Warren-Newport Public Library. You might have caught a number of news stories about the Library Board in the recent past. The meetings have been a real circus.

This educated and dedicated group of service-oriented people has been bussed around by some loopy, laughable and intentionally argumentative person who has no concept on how to run a meeting, cooperate within a team, or focus on the matters at-hand.  Much like a particular member on the Warren Township High School Board, this library trustee is causing a great deal of turmoil for the other hard-working public servants who are prepared for meetings, follow proper rules of order, and work collaboratively with fellow library board members for the common good .

Unfortunately, this isn’t an exciting election year. There aren’t big contests to be considered and this means a lower voter turnout. No important questions, directly corresponds with  the number of people venturing out at their polling place. If people don’t vote, situations arise where write-in candidates can be elected with 31 votes. Yes, it happened on Warren’s School Board two years ago.

The vice-president on the library board is a perfect example. This man has scores of detractors, but the public knows little about his antics. He’s considered  toxic by his peers, impervious to criticism, and appears invulnerable, by running again for a six year term. Last week at the monthly board meeting, the consultant hired to help the board get-along, had blocked this gentleman’s Twitter posts. He was also chastised for politicking on library property, disrespected fellow board members, and called out on having library personnel make an extraordinarily large amount of business cards that he’s handing out to voters.

I can’t tell you who to vote for on April 7^th, but I can offer some tips. Get educated and find out about the candidates before you enter the booth. Don’t pick someone because the name sounds familiar, or they’re an incumbent. Find out if the candidate’s views align with your beliefs. Go to board meetings regularly, before the election. If you can’t attend a meeting, ask someone you trust for their opinion, or view the minutes on record. Check-out Facebook,  look at who endorses them, and read the news.  Say no to the Bozos, do the research, and vote smart.