Survey Says ... There's A 'Trust Gap' Among Reading Residents

When the Reading Board of Selectmen decided to survey residents and ask them to explain their vote in the failed October 2016 override, they knew the answers could hurt.

Tuesday night at Reading Memorial High School they found out how much. The phrase "trust gap" was heard early and often as the results of the town survey were unveiled for the first time. It showed that many residents didn't trust their town to spend tax dollars wisely. The result, a little more than a year ago, was the failed override with almost 60 percent of voters saying no.

Numbers filled the library Tuesday and it was the task of Jayne Miller, the town's Business Administrator, to make sense of it all. A Tufts graduate with a degree in economics, Miller explained the 14-question survey that residents took between Aug. 1 and Sept. 5.

For the record, 2,488 residents responded, roughly 13 percent of registered voters. More than 6,800 residents voted in the override but officials were pleased with the survey response. Of those 2,488 residents, 1,018 had voted yes on the override, 967 no, and 503 did not vote. The details in the numbers during the two-hour presentation were impressive, right down to the 4-minutes and 52 seconds it took the average person to complete the survey.

But the numbers really weren't the story. Trust, and the work ahead to strengthen residents' trust, was front and center. The survey should be on the town website soon but until then, these were the highlights.

• Of those who voted yes, almost 81 percent did so because they were concerned about cuts to the schools.

• Of those who voted no, most said the override request was too large and/or that the town and schools didn't make their case clearly. This was question three and Miller said, "the start of where we see the trust gap."

• In the we-can't-make-this-up answer, 26.80 percent of responders said they didn't realize Reading was having an override vote.

• Responders said they would vote yes if there was more clarity about how the funds would be used. This question produced comments directed at the trust residents lack in town boards like the selectmen and school committee and even suggested rifts between various parts of town government.

• To the question, where do you get your information, most answered "conversations with neighbors."

• The yes voters were dominated by voters with kids in schools. But as Miller said, "the perception is that 'no' voters didn't have kids in schools and that's absolutely wrong."

• Which municipal service is used the most? The library was the clear winner.

• No voters tend to have lived longer in Reading.

One aspect of the survey that won't be released immediately are the 1,700 comments in the 12 questions that asked for them. That will take some time to compile and officials want the numbers to sink in before releasing the comments. But as Miller said, "The trust gap is evident throughout the comments."

Miller had five conclusions from the pages of data:

1. Local leaders have an opportunity to address this trust gap through improved communication.

2. Voters want clarity about how the funds will be spent.

3. Voters need to be convinced that town boards have trimmed their budgets.

4. Residents may support an override somewhere around $500 per year.

5. Half of the respondents indicated that they might change their vote in either direction.

Back in 2016, the Board of Selectmen felt they made the case for an override and had communicated with residents. But like a team that thinks it had a good week of practice, only to get crushed on game day, the override vote told a different story. And the survey confirmed it.

"It was too big, we didn't make the case of where it would go," said selectmen Barry Berman of the $7.5 override request.

"We're going to have to do better," said board chairman John Arena. "I get it."

The room was filled with sympathizers, including members of the school and finance committees. But as town manager Bob LeLacheur asked, "how do we communicate with people not in this room?"

The challenge is big. Officials passionately believe Reading needs an override when residents vote in April. But the survey has a clear message: Prove it.

Photo by Bob Holmes