Key issues headed for next year's ballot Bilingual education among initiatives
BOSTON--In addition to electing a new governor next November, Massachusetts voters also will likely decide whether the bilingual education system should be dismantled and if the minimum wage should go up with inflation each year. Almost forgotten amid the upheaval over the five-months-late state budget are a series of ballot initiative petitions that quietly are making their way toward the ballot for the Nov. 5 election. The initiative system allows citizens to circumvent the Legislature if they feel it is ignoring an issue. Supporters of the initiatives had until Tuesday in the city of Boston, and until last week in the rest of the state, to gather the 57,100 signatures needed to have lawmakers consider the questions. Local election officials must complete the process of certifying the signatures by Monday, and supporters have to turn in the validated signatures to the Secretary of State by Wednesday. Other questions expected to make it onto the ballot are ones to abolish the state income tax and to ban the slaughter of horses for meat. Another petition seeks to place a constitutional amendment on the 2004 ballot that would define marriage as a heterosexual union only. That question has gathered more than 100,000 signatures, according to proponents. Supporters of those measures and of the bilingual and minimum wage initiatives appear to have gathered considerably more than 57,100 signatures, making it highly likely that the questions will go before voters. However, several initiatives, including one that originated in Central Massachusetts, have fallen far short of 57,100 and are almost certain not to be on the ballot. Peter M. Confrey, chairman of the Mendon selectmen, authored a question that would weaken the state's affordable housing law and give communities significant new powers over developers seeking to build housing complexes. But a signature drive promised by Mr. Confrey, who was inspired to write the question by his battle against two large developments planned for his Blackstone Valley town, never materialized. Mr. Confrey did not return calls seeking comment. But the Mendon town clerk, Margaret R. Bonderenko, said she has not received a single signature collection sheet from Mr. Confrey or other backers of the initiative. State Rep. Marie J. Parente, D-Milford, an original backer of Mr. Confrey's measure, said she sent letters to boards of selectmen across the state informing them of the initiative question, but did not help gather signatures. In contrast to the low-key effort on behalf of Mr. Confrey's initiative, backers of the measure to replace bilingual education with a one-year English-only immersion'' program mounted a full-scale campaign that collected more than 100,000 signatures. The bilingual campaign, which has a full-time paid staff member and is being funded by California multimillionaire Ron Unz, hired a professional signature-gathering firm. Also, high-profile supporters and volunteers such as state Sen. Guy W. Glodis, D-Worcester, collected thousands of signatures on their own. Another question that will not go before voters is a proposal backed by organized labor to require employers to provide half-pay to workers who take time off to care for family members. Robert Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, said unions concentrated on the initiative question to tie the minimum wage to hikes in the cost of living rather than on the family leave measure. The economic downturn made it difficult to persuade voters to sign petitions for a mandate that some businesses would have trouble affording, Mr. Haynes said. Mr. Haynes said unions will continue to lobby lawmakers to enact legislation that would do the same thing as the minimum wage initiative. He said union polling indicates broad public support for the measure. If the Legislature does not enact legislation mirroring the petition questions by May, proponents must cross one final hurdle by gathering another 9,517 signatures by July 5. |