The current Boone County Journal contains an article indicating the group promoting incorporation will not be getting their proposal on the November ballot as was previously planned. Let's use a little conjecture thinking about why this could be happening since they will be forced to pay for the special referendum they now hope to have on a ballot in December.
Possibility # 1....They couldn't get the necessary signatures to get the issue on the November ballot with the deadline of July 16. The new deadline will be August 16, giving them breathing room. This seems very unlikely due to the ease of getting petitions signed for any issue. All the petition holder needs to do is tell the prospective signer their signature doesn't mean they are for the cause, they just should have it on the ballot. I am told this is a common practice used in politics by candidates getting signatures.
Possibility #2....They are hoping the extra time can be used to pressure the surrounding villages to give permission for Candlewick to incorporate. "We are being held hostage and they aren't being neighborly" are a couple statements attributed to the group when referring to the villages. They have been unable to get permission from any of the villages. I would not think they would want to irritate them with pressure because they could get a "no" since the surrounding municipalities could see possible negative consequences for themselves if Candlewick incorporates. This does, however, seem a more likely reason.
Possibility #3....As a rule the turnout is much lighter for special elections. They realize for the elections in November there will be a large turnout, which would be devastating for their proposal. Stalling for the special date they hope will put a cap on turnout and increase their chance of a positive outcome. This seems to be another likely reason for the stall. I doubt however this will actually help their cause with the strong anti-incorporation sentiment in our community.
Possibility #4....They want more time to try to sell the idea of incorporation. I actually doubt this is a major possibility since there can be no firm numbers and pretty much all has been said. People I believe know where they stand at this point.
I, of course, am not in their inner circle so this is just conjecture. You can judge their reasons for yourself and possibly come up with some others of your own. I understand one proponent is saying it is so the issue isn’t lost with all the other voting in the November election. That surely can’t be a reason. I don’t believe for a minute our citizens would be confused or couldn’t find the issue on a ballot. And the beat goes on....
Ken Dillenburg