Feels her vote didn’t matter in Spotswood

I was aggravated when I read the letter to the editor ("Democratic System Fails Voters in Spotswood") from another Spotswood resident in the June 4 issue of the Sentinel.

I attended the Spotswood Borough Council meeting where the overturn took place. All the kindergarten parents were represented. There were no senior citizens. However, the seniors represented themselves when they voted in May.

According to the Appleby School PTA president, the parents were not informed that this budget vote was taking place. Or perhaps they were too busy to vote. It takes five minutes to vote, but all of them had the time to be at a council meeting for more than an hour.

When I read about the budget in the Sentinel, I immediately registered to vote. I have always been told you can’t complain if you do not exercise your right to vote.

My reason for voting was because I believe we need to address the education of the children in our school system now. The high school doesn’t have enough Spanish books, and the fifth-graders don’t have science books.

According to one of the newspapers, Spotswood teachers are among the lowest paid in the area. Excellent teachers have left because they can get a better salary somewhere else. I can’t say I blame them when the economy is so bad.

Do we need a parking lot by Appleby School? Yes, if it really is going to help alleviate the traffic jam up on Vliet Street and make it safer for the children. It is very scary in the morning and afternoon. Do we need full-day kindergarten? No, not until we can take care of the children who are in the school system now.

Unfortunately, my vote was one that didn’t matter. It’s interesting that this all transpired after the council elections.

Ida Gonzalez

Spotswood