26 Days Until the Vote

I grew up in Indiana so I guess basketball is in my blood. My college friends have a saying that you can take the girl out of Indiana, but you can’t take Indiana out of the girl. Very true. I never played basketball, but love to watch it, and it doesn’t get much better than March Madness. So, I along with most of the country sat glued to my TV Monday night to see if the Butler Bulldogs could beat Duke in a classic David and Goliath scenario. Even if you aren’t a basketball fan, but watched the game, you had to have been drawn in. It was excellent. Well played by both teams. It came down to a last second shot from Butler that bounced off the rim and out, leaving Duke the victor, 59-61.


This morning I was thinking again about how close Butler came to making history. And then my thoughts turned to the levy (as they do these days), the campaign and winning on May 4th. As crazy as it sounds, I ended up making several mental comparisons between the levy vote and that game. Here are a couple:


1. Seizing The Opportunity At Hand - It’s hard to get to the finals of the NCAA tournament. It’s been 9 years since Duke, one of college basketball’s best programs, got there. Butler had never gotten to the finals before Monday. Both teams had an opportunity on Monday night that they may not have again. Similarly, we have an opportunity we may never have again. On May 4th, we have the chance to build strongly and cost-effectively into our community’s and kid’s future. The low construction and financing costs paired with the government funding incentives provide an opportunity that may not come around again. Remember, just a little over a year ago, we were looking at implementing the facilities plan in 3 phases because the cost was so much higher than it is now. If we do it on May 4th, we can now do it in one phase. We need to seize the opportunity at hand.


2. It All Comes Down To This - Any team playing in the finals of the NCAA tournament has 40 minutes to win. It all comes down to that. And if they win, they make history. On May 4th, we have 13 hours to win. It all comes down to that. And when we win, we’ll make history. The support for the levy is really building; people are excited about the amazing potential this carries for our schools and our community. They can feel the opportunity available to build into our towns and our kids’ education. But what really matters on May 4th is if you vote. That decides the “game”. It all comes down this: We have one day – 13 hours - to determine if we grab our opportunity or miss it. Be a part of the “game” – Vote! Vote by mail now or at the polls on the 4th, but vote and help make history.