Again with the "stealth elections"

Here we go again! It's “stealth election” time. Other than a special election for mayor of Troy, there are three school districts out gaming the system again. They are Madison District Public Schools, West Bloomfield School District and Berkley School District. They all want money for routine expenses – operating, capital improvement, or sinking fund. None appears to have a suddenly realized emergency with which to deal. If they were well managed, these votes could have been held last November.

Not that they did not have an ulterior motive, but Bloomfield Hills School District held both a bond election and a sinking fund election in 2012 that are not scheduled to be effective until 2014. Ladies and gentlemen, it can be done.

In short, these districts are gaming the system to hold one or more millage elections (Berkley scheduled two) when they can rest assured the voter turn out will be low – hence the popular handle, stealth.