ENID —

Some post-game reflections on the recent successful Enid Public Schools bond issue:

A number of things factored into the success of this bond issue. First, bringing in a new superintendent to lead an effort to get a bond package together was valuable. Shawn Hime is only in his second year as superintendent, but he started right from the beginning formulating a committee to address the school needs.

Everyone knows there is a distrust of government in Enid -- fair or unfair -- and when you have new face to lead the charge, that will help.

Second, the committee was pretty diverse. They did spend a year going into the schools, getting feedback from teachers, etc. Their plan kept getting bigger and bigger, but in the end, they came up with a reasonable package that addressed a number of issues and could find support in many areas, including athletics.

Third, there is a growing and committed group of young professionals in this town who are starting to emerge and take leadership roles. Some people believe Enid doesn’t attract young people or attract former students back to town. Not true. There are many EHS graduates I know of from the classes of 2003-2005 who are back in town and employed as professionals. This group is active, and they are becoming involved in civic groups. The next step is to see them run for elected offices, such as city commission and school board.

This growing group of young professionals are also very Internet savvy. They are big on social media, and they know how to use it. The huge absentee voter turnout was the result of some very good social networking. Starting last Friday, e-mails, Facebook and tweets went out encouraging people to vote early. Many of these early voters were young professionals.

Social networking, in general, played a role in developing support for this bond issue. Advertising and proponent campaigns were conspicuously absent -- a strategy that could have easily backfired. But, it didn’t -- this time.

A couple of things could have derailed this effort. First, the lack of a campaign in favor of the bond issue. Proponents of the bond issue were advised to run a low-key effort, mainly speaking to groups. They put out one “yes” piece, which didn’t show up in local mailboxes until Tuesday. I got mine after 5 p.m. Tuesday -- after I’d voted.

This is the kind of strategy that more school bond proponents are employing, and it appears to work. The idea is don’t stir up opposition, just keep to the message and state the facts.

It works if you have a good plan to work with, and it works if you have a very open and accountable plan. This Enid issue had that -- there were no secrets about the costs. They were laid out and easily accessible.

There was a little flair up about what some opponents of the issue saw as “inflated” prices. However, those prices reflected more than just a toilet or a water fountain -- those prices included renovations and other work that has to go into renovating old facilities. Think about this -- I’ve never seen a complete list of cost estimates before a bond issue. So, those numbers were something people could work with.

The second thing that could have backfired was the decision to put the artificial turf in the plan. For some reason, folks get all upset when it comes to improving athletic facilities. They consider academics the priority over athletics, and they are right. However, what people haven’t quite understood yet is that good athletic facilities have the opportunity to really enhance the quality of life in a community that goes beyond the boundaries of school. We’ve seen it with David Allen Memorial Ballpark, and we now have the opportunity to see what the stadium renovations can bring in -- and we’ll also have the opportunity to see what a state-of-the art basketball facility can do when the city makes the decision to address that issue.

 The third thing that could have derailed this effort is Shawn Hime’s intention to run for State Superintendent of Public Education. This was an unexpected development. Hime has thrown his hat into the ring because Sandy Garrett is not running. He always had ambitions to run for that seat, but did not expect Garrett to exit at this time.

That development could have easily worked against this bond issue, and if Hime hadn’t taken the extra effort to be accessible and to go out and personally meet people and talk to them about their concerns, it could have killed the plan.

So, this is a victory for Enid Public Schools -- but its a victory for the entire community. There are many opportunities that will open up to us with some new schools and renovated facilities.

Does this mean jobs will automatically come? No. But, it just gives Enid more arrows in our quiver when it comes to: 1. Attracting new businesses or industries: 2. Encouraging present businesses to invest in their own growth; 3. Attracting professionals to take jobs in the community and 4: Keeping Enid open as an option for graduating students who will consider returning to Enid for job opportunities.