As we approach Election Day, the urge for candidates and surrogates to talk to (captive) drivers in school blue zones will be strong. Candidates: don’t do it! Drivers: don’t let it happen! Witnesses: let the candidates/surrogates know it will be the surest way to lose your vote!
If you see it happen, send us a picture. We’re not above shaming bad behavior.
This has been a public service announcement from your friends at Village 14.
Agreed. When I see candidates at school pickup, I turn the other way. I’m trying to find my small kid in a crowd at dismissal and having a candidate approach me at pickup is an imposition.
We also had candidates showing up to campaign at our back to school picnic last month and I also thought that was inappropriate. The back to school picnic (at least at my child’s school) is for students, their families, and staff/faculty. I didn’t want to hear a political schpiel while I’m sitting down for a picnic dinner with my family.
Campaigning on school property is not allowed as it falls in the category of soliciting, which is prohibited by NPS policy. Campaigning on city sidewalks is permissible, even if in front of a school, at a blue zone. Exception: If the blue zone is on school property, and examples like Angier and Bowen come to mind.
Interesting. So, the candidates who showed up at the school picnic were in violation of NPS policy?
I would guess the candidates doing this are new and not fully aware of the rules. All the rules around campaigning are not clearly written anywhere I know the of, like no signs on the berm, no leaflets thru mail slots….
If your a new candidate without guidance from experienced Newton politicians it’s easy to make a mistake. Let us be slow to anger and quick to forgive during this last week.
Lucia,
You are a kinder person than I. If you don’t understand, without a pamphlet on how to campaign, the impact of talking to drivers in the blue zone …
Mea culpa. I apologize.
Ruthanne,
Your punishment: one week in front of the elementary school of your choice directing traffic!
While I applaud Ruthanne for coming forward, I seriously question why she did not know the rules. This is not her first campaign.
Sean – Unless you have kids in the schools, you don’t even know what the blue zone is. Even when you use the term “blue zone”, it doesn’t explain where it is or what its purpose is. Let’s give everyone a break and be patient in the last week.
Jane,
You must be new here. I like to keep things light-hearted, when I can. I’m not suggesting that campaigning in the blue zone is a capital offense.
Hoping that candidates will understand and respect the impact that talking to drivers in the blue zone can have.
Good luck to all the candidates. (And, keep out of the blue zone!)
@TheWholeTruth I think I can help explain…I am co-chair of Ruthanne’s campaign, along with Steve Grossman. I am a former PTO president of Burr Elementary School and Day Middle School and have been a part of the city wide PTO council over both of those tenures. Never in my 10 years as a NPS parent or as a PTO officer was I aware of this rule. I have been decked out in (a completely dorky and horrifying) orange safety vest patrolling blue zones. I have run PTO community events. I’ve seen Newton politicians out doing their thing for years…never gave it a thought one way or the other, as long as they were low key and obviously NOT directly interfering in the vitally important operation that is the blue zone. It was my idea and we won’t go anymore. See y’all elsewhere on the campaign trail!!
Dana Hanson
Current NPS parent at North (Go TIGERS!), former PTO President at Burr & Day
Co-chair, Ruthanne Fuller for Mayor
http://www.ruthannefuller.com
Dana and Ruthanne, there’s no need to apologize. There’s no rule that says one cannot campaign in the Blue Zone, unless (as Steve noted) the Blue Zone is on school property, as it is at Angier, etc.
It’s clear that Sean does not like seeing campaigning in the Blue Zones, and others agree with him — for very good reasons about safety, traffic throughput efficiency, etc. I might, too. But I’m not writing here to express my opinion. I’m writing to say that there’s no rule against it.
Yesterday I dispensed a plenary indulgence to Scott. Today I happily give one to Ruth Anne.
@Bruce, the apology was for violating the rule about being ON school property. Ruthanne appears to have been the candidate that went to the back to school picnic MMQC was speaking about. So, yes, that’s a violation.
@Dana, thanks for taking the hit for Ruthanne but again, as a well-versed candidate, SHE should have known better. And might I suggest that if you are going to be someone’s campaign manager, you take the time to get to know the rules.
In the grand scheme of things, this transgression is no big deal. But what if it was a big deal?
I’m not okay with the “oh well, next time I will not do it” attitude. Ignorance of the rules is just that, ignorant.
I think it’s great that Councilor Fuller has been tunned into Village 14 enough to comment just hours after a thread went live, especially during such a busy week. If she’s elected mayor I look forward to her doing the same!
@TWT: I’m not sure you’re correct about the subject of the apologies by Ruthanne and Dana. Ruthanne simply said, “Mea culpa. I apologize” as a comment to a post that’s about campaigning in the Blue Zones (not a post about campaigning at picnics on school property, which was mentioned in comments by Steve and MMQC). And Dana’s comment specifically referred only to Blue Zones (her volunteer work with them, her understanding of the need to keep them operating safely). Neither of them said anything about picnics or school property.
My point was simply that this post seems to be implying that there’s a rule about no campaigning in Blue Zones, but in fact there’s not.
Just to be clear, Ruthanne was one of the candidates who tried to campaign at our back to school picnic, so they might have been addressing that. I believe the candidates were politely asked to leave.
I can’t begin to tell you how many candidates I have seen at fall back-to-school picnics during my recently concluded 13-year-run as an elementary parent. Mayfair in the spring as well – prime signature gathering. If this is against the rules, it’s news to me and probably to a majority of past and current members of the school committee and council, based on how common it is.
As for the Blue Zone – yes, it’s perfectly legal to be on the public sidewalk of a Blue Zone. But as I always explained to candidates, when you’re shaking hands and handing out literature in the Blue Zone, you’re slowing down drop-off. That means that everyone waiting to drop off their kids will remember you as the person who screwed up the Blue Zone and made them late for work. That was usually sufficient reason for them to move on and greet the walkers instead.
And I can confirm that Dana wore the orange vest, and she wore it well for many years. Indulgences all around!
My apologies for not adding more clarity to my original post. There are not currently explicit written rules about campaigning on school property, as far as any of us have found. A month or so ago this question came up for some school committee candidates so a couple of us consulted with NPS policies, the city legal department, and the elections office. The Policies are silent, Elections booted it to Legal, and when asked, Legal took the position that campaigning is soliciting, which is explicitly prohibited in our policies. This was the basis for my earlier post. Now that we’ve looked into this, I’m expecting that the School Committee and NPS will write this into our policies so it can be available for all candidates. Historically I and many other candidates have collected signatures, passed out literature, and done other traditional campaign-type activities on school grounds, but no more!