WILLIAMSVILLE — There's no question that the winter storm that swept the East Coast the night of Feb. 8 was large and accurately predicted, and places where the wind was expected to be strongest and the snow deepest were wise to shut down roads and prepare for the worst.
But as with Super Storm Sandy, Vermont was spared. What we had was a snowstorm - the kind of storm that used to occur with a regularity that we Vermonters took in stride. But not this time.
In Windham County, at least, the storm progressed exactly as predicted, with snow starting in earnest about five in the afternoon and ending about 18 inches later at five the next morning.
Nevertheless, schools were canceled Friday, before a flake had fallen, and only 18 voters showed up at the NewBrook Fire House for the Brookline-Newfane Joint School Board's Annual Meeting, warned for 10 a.m. on Saturday.
While I'm a great believer in safety, I also believe in civic duty and common sense. I'm beginning to think that the 24-hour news cycle is anathema to all three, but especially to common sense.
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With such a big storm heading toward the densely populated East Coast, especially in places still suffering from Sandy, warnings for this recent storm - dubbed “Nemo” by The Weather Channel - were warranted.
And given their constant repetition, it was easy to get hysterical, even when the predictions for Vermont - on the statewide news, at least - were for the kind of winter storm we used to consider good winter weather: good for insulation, good for plant ecology, good for tourism, and good for the soul.
The storm that was predicted for Vermont was the kind of storm Vermonters used to be prepared for all the time. With flashlights, canned goods, a bucket of water, and a good book, we'd weather a few feet of snow and then go out and shovel in the morning.
Certainly, the five hours between the time the snow ended and the duly warned meeting began would have been ample time to dig out and go vote on a nearly $2 million budget crafted to give the children in Brookline and Newfane the best education at the best possible rates.
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But maybe the snow wasn't to blame for the low turnout at all.
Last year, when we didn't have the excuse of a snowstorm, only about 40 voters showed up. Evidently, the school's basketball team had travelled upstate to participate in a tournament that morning, taking their voting parents with them.
But parents of school-aged children are just a fraction of the voters in the two towns. Where were the others?
I have always made it a point to support the local schools. I believe education is the foundation for civic society and our best hope for the future. So I'm always dismayed when there's low voter turnout. But I also have a new understanding of what can keep people from showing up to vote.
Balloting for the Leland & Gray Union High School budget took place by Australian ballot all day on Feb. 6, and for the first time ever, I forgot to vote. There was no weather event keeping me from the polls, no antipathy toward the budget - nothing but a busy schedule and a memory lapse.
After reading the information about the LGUHS and NewBrook Elementary School budgets that were mailed to me, I felt well enough informed to skip the informational meetings held before the votes. In truth, I had prior engagements the evening of both informational meetings, one professional and one personal.
But I intended to vote. If there had been as much hype about the voting as there had been about the storm, I'm sure I would have.
I take full responsibility for my voting lapse. I didn't mark the vote on my calendar, even though it was mentioned once in the local news.
But is once enough? These days, repetition of sensational stories passes for reporting, so it's hard to learn anything in depth, especially if it isn't sensational. And when that happens, it allows the important stuff to fall through the cracks.
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It was certainly easier to perform our civic duty back when we voted for the school budgets at Town Meeting. All we had to do was remember a single date: the first Tuesday of March.
A lot of people would show up for a day of decisions, from electing officers to discussing budgets (highway, town, and school) to debating issues from traffic ordinances to power generation. For a single day, we collectively rolled up our sleeves and deliberated with great seriousness, fueled by neighborly visiting and good, potluck fare.
Legalities now require that we separate our different budget votes and require us to show up at the polls three times instead of one: once for LGUHS, once for NewBrook, and once for Town Meeting. It's a lot to ask of busy people, but it's what democracy demands.
The entire joint school board was on hand at the NewBrook Fire House for the meeting on the Saturday after the storm. With only 18 voters present, voters decided to recess until Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 6 p.m.
The majority opinion was that more than a dozen and a half voters were needed to make a fair decision with nearly $2 million on the line.
It remains to be seen, however, how many voters will show up. There's no perfect time for a meeting, no time when everyone can turn out.
And anyway, it might snow.