By MARK SARDELLA
It’s the season of good will toward men.
In that spirit, I would like to offer the good men at ‘Yes for WMHS’ some helpful information about the proposed new Wakefield Memorial High School project.
The estimated cost of the project, as announced in mid-October, is $273.7 million, not $220 million as you still have on your ‘Yes for WMHS’ web site.
‘Yes for WMHS’ is the official Ballot Question Committee registered with the Wakefield Town Clerk and the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance to “promote the Wakefield Memorial High School Building project.”
It’s been over two months since the latest cost estimates came out for the proposed new Wakefield Memorial High School. And yet, as of today, Dec. 15, ‘Yes for WMHS’ still has the lower figures from last spring posted all over its website.
As a taxpayer, does it fill you with confidence that those who want you to hand over nearly $1,500 a year for a brand-new high school can’t keep their own website up to date?
Early in October, the town learned that the cost estimate of $220 million put out last March would not be nearly enough to build the new high school that the designers envision. Inflation, escalating construction costs and other factors have caused the total project cost to balloon to $273.7 million.
On Oct. 13, the Wakefield Daily Item reported the revised total project cost estimate of $273.7 million and the new estimated annual cost per taxpayer of $1,384. Yet, nine weeks later, the ‘Yes for WMHS’ website still lists the old estimate of $220 million and the yearly cost per taxpayer as $1,058.
Surely this is not a deliberate effort to deceive the public. But the advocates know that cost is going to make or break the high school project. And, they can’t be surprised when questions arise regarding the incorrect information on their campaign website, especially when that inaccuracy happens to favor their cause.
And if the cost figures are inaccurate, what about all the other information on the ‘Yes for WMHS’ website?
The town is planning to hold a Special Town Meeting next month and a Special Election shortly thereafter, which will determine if the town will build a new Wakefield Memorial High School at a cost of nearly $274 million. With such a short window of time, accurate and up-to-date information is critically important for voters to make an informed decision.
Anyone relying on the ‘Yes for WMHS’ website would still think the total project cost was $220 million and the annual per-taxpayer cost $1,058. Who knows how many voters have already made up their minds based on those lower numbers?
And now, the ‘Yes for WMHS’ lawn signs are starting to pop up around town. The signs display a big QR code that you can scan with your phone and it will take you directly to the ‘Yes for WMHS’ website – the one with the incorrect cost information.
The key to any successful advertising or political campaign is convincing people that you are a credible source for accurate and timely information. The baseline expectation for any advocacy group is that they will at least present the most fundamental information accurately.
On that count, the ‘YES for WMHS’ campaign has to do better if it hopes to convince a majority of Wakefield voters and taxpayers to support a new high school.