TURNERS FALLS — As the Turners Falls High School mascot debate unfolds, supporters of the current mascot have considered holding a referendum on the controversial issue.
Some who favor keeping the decades-old “Indians” mascot have suggested a binding referendum that would allow people to vote before a contemplated public comment process goes forward.
It’s unclear what that referendum would look like. It could be either a formal or informal referendum, binding or non-binding.
A formal vote would require petitions presented to both town governments in Gill and Montague, since the Gill-Montague Regional School District serves both communities, and would need to be decided on at individual town settings. Frank Abbondanzio, the town administrator for Montague, said a referendum would likely be only advisory in nature, and non-binding, meaning the town government couldn’t force the school committee in either direction, but only make a recommendation.
The town clerks for each town would have specific requirements for submitting a referendum, depending on the town.
The School Committee could also hold its own referendum. Committee Chairman Mike Langknecht said the committee hasn’t discussed the possibility because members haven’t met since the idea was mentioned at its last meeting — where the committee voted to begin a public review of the appropriateness of the mascot, whether to change it and if so to what. Such a review would involve public comment from both sides of the issue and could stretch for several weeks or months.
Langknecht said the committee is made up of residents and taxpayers in the towns and are elected by the voters to handle issues like this.
He said that a public referendum could raise its own concerns, including campaigning that could possibly turn ugly as the issue heats up.
The current plan includes at least two public hearings, which are scheduled for Oct. 25 and Nov. 15, and several more steps with public input before the committee would vote on the measure.
A public referendum would also exclude any students under 18 as well as anyone outside the district, including alumni who no longer live in the towns.
Christopher Pinardi, a Turners Falls High School graduate who attended the School Committee meeting last week and favors keeping the mascot, said the referendum is a way to gauge real interest in the issue. He said online petitions that mascot defenders initiated and that garnered more than 1,000 signatures were a starting point. But he said that anyone can sign them, and it doesn’t show where signers live or attend school.
“If 10 percent of the town is in favor of changing the name or the logo, and 90 percent isn’t, then why are we taking the School Committee’s time away from educating our children?” Pinardi said.
Jeremy Dillenschneider, also a Turners Falls graduate and the creator of the original online petition, advocated at the meeting for a referendum.
I don’t think it belongs with the School Committee,” he said. “It belongs to the townspeople and those in the district.”
Dillenschneider said he thinks the School Committee can handle it, but that this issue should be brought directly to the town.
The School Committee hasn’t indicated whether it would consider such a referendum, but has planned public forums to hear both sides of the argument. Those advocating for the referendum want to see a vote ahead of the forums. Pinardi said that based on last week’s committee meeting, he doesn’t think the forums would be productive.
“It’s too hostile of an environment,” he said.
The forums are the first part of a process that was approved during the most recent School Committee meeting. The committee plans to hold the forums and do all information gathering on the subject before moving ahead with the process.
Langknecht said that the committee fully expects and welcomes proposals calling for the Indians to stay as the mascot among all the proposals that will be submitted.
Miranda Davis covers
Montague, Gill and Erving. You can reach her
at 413-772-0261, ext. 280
or mdavis@recorder.com.