Natick Saves
Citizens for Pay As You Throw
please VOTE NO
on December 16
this page will be archived on 1/1/04
December 16, 2003 election results  |  precinct results
VOTER TURNOUT: 5,219 (26%)     YES: 1,449 (27.8%)     NO: 3,770 (72.2%)
thank you
why NO?
contact
Q & A
your support
the petition
 
Polls are open 7am - 8pm Tuesday where do I vote? map of polling locations
MetroWest Daily News and The Natick Bulletin & Tab endorse a NO vote
Read about outside interference from a Marblehead elected official
Reruns: Watch the 12/9 LWV Forum and the 12/10 call-in show on Natick Pegasus
Finance Committee Report to Selectmen (PDF) download free Acrobat reader
The Story of Trash in Natick   why we don't pick up at apartments and condos
Please get involved in this campaign for Natick Join our endorsement list
   page views since 11/8/2003 page updated 1/17/04
Natick Saves: Citizens for Pay As You Throw
is a registered ballot question committee.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Quote/Unquote   about Natick Saves
for more, see your voices
  • At first I viewed PAYT as a major inconvenience.  I changed my mind the very first week it was in effect. 

    •  
  • Pay As You Throw is a sound system that is good for the environment and good for our town budget.

    •  
  • I am 100% behind the PAYT system which has reduced trash and increased recycling.

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  • I support the pay as you throw program, as it is significantly less expensive than the proposed alternative and encourages recycling.

    		•    This citizens' ballot question committee was formed to oppose Question 1, a Natick referendum on Tuesday, December 16 that seeks to overturn Pay As You Throw curbside trash pickup and expand taxpayer-funded trash pickup to all Natick apartments and condos.  Question 1 proposes an undefined, 100% taxpayer funded means of trash disposal for the Natick selectmen to devise. It is based on a 1934 Lexington bylaw that was submitted as a bylaw addition to Natick Fall Town Meeting, but was not adopted.  The sponsor never even came to Town Meeting.  link to referendum question

    We urge you to Vote NO on Question 1 because it will cost Natick taxpayers more and needlessly discard a PAYT system that has reduced trash, increased recycling, improved sanitation and saved money for Natick.  10 reasons to Vote NO

    Absentee ballots are now available through the Town Clerk.  Absentee ballots are available until noon on Monday, December 15.

    Your vote counts, and your voice makes a difference.  Please talk to your neighbors and encourage them to vote NO.  Voter comment and opinion

    		 Natick Saves will provide Natick voters with comprehensive, factual information in the coming weeks about the issues and alternatives at stake on December 16.  We welcome opportunities to speak and to listen.  We will offer a clear distinction and a positive message to Natick voters.  We trust our fellow Natick voters to make the right decision and vote NO on Question 1.  FAQ  Trash vs. Truth  10 Reasons to Vote NO

    We welcome your interest and support.  This is a citizen's campaign run by volunteers. Please contact us if you want to participate, make a donation, ask a question or get on a list for campaign news and updates.  Click here to endorse.  We need and welcome volunteers (we have welcomed many already)!  Click here for a schedule of forums.

    Please support Natick Saves with a donation.  We do need your financial support!  Please send a check payable to Natick Saves, Post Office Box 741, Natick MA 01760.  Thank you!  donation form

    Natick Saves is a volunteer committee.  Joshua Ostroff, Chair; Craig S. Ross, Treasurer; Linda Sussman and Christine Weithman, Officers.
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    Natick Saves: Citizens for Pay As You Throw  Post Office Box 741   Natick MA 01760   naticksaves.org

     
     
     

    thank you

    Thank you, Natick.

    Thank you for a strong voter turnout on December 16 - at 26%, one of the highest numbers for a local election in recent years.  Thank you for expressing your opinion on this issue, whichever way you voted.

    Thank you for making the right choice: to say No to a proposal that was wrong for Natick.

    Thank you to the hundreds of people who participated in this campaign: donors, volunteers, endorsers, and family who helped make it possible with so little time.  Your generosity was rewarded.

    And of course, thank you to the thousands of Natick residents who serve this community in countless ways.  There are some wonderful people in this town, whether they have been here for 50 years or just a few weeks.

    This campaign was sometimes viewed as a referendum on Natick government.  Certainly many people said so, and many may have voted their disapproval.  But the victory for NO was a vote on this referendum and this issue - it was not about Natick's past. 

    The things about Natick that voters want to change, can be changed through a democratic process of citizen participation.  For the people that hate PAYT, or want to change it, or want more choice: please make your complaints and criticisms known so that they are counted.  You may not get everything you want.  But PAYT itself came about through change, and through citizen participation.

    This campaign brought together people who have a range of views on many issues, from property taxes to bus fees to school funding and much more.  Future campaigns and debates may see some of us on opposing sides.  That is OK, because by treating one another with respect, by participating in the process of self-government, and by leaving the door open to new ideas and new voices, we ensure Natick's future as a healthy and vibrant place to live.

    Thank you, Natick.

    Joshua Ostroff
    Chair, Natick Saves: Citizens For Pay As You Throw
    http://NatickSaves.org

     
     
     

    December 16, 2003 Special Election
    Precinct Results

    Precinct
    Yes
    No
    Votes
    %
    Votes
    %
    1
    72
    48.0%
    78
    52.0%
    2
    183
    29.0%
    448
    71.0%
    3
    124
    25.8%
    356
    74.2%
    4
    93
    21.8%
    334
    78.2%
    5
    173
    29.2%
    420
    70.8%
    6
    168
    28.7%
    417
    71.3%
    7
    174
    26.4%
    485
    73.6%
    8
    153
    30.5%
    349
    69.5%
    9
    156
    29.1%
    381
    70.9%
    10
    153
    23.4%
    502
    76.6%
    Total
    1,449
    27.8%
    3,770
    72.2%

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