“No” sends major message
Apr 29, 2011 12:00 am
To the Editor:
The tax paying citizens of Rumford must step up to the plate once and for all when going to the polls this year.
Those voting absentee must remember also to go back a second time to vote on the RSU 10 budget.
In all cases a “no"is warranted across the board this year. Mr. Theriault said it correctly last week in his letter to the editor. The population of the entire town is now less 6000. The majority of the tax payers are on fixed incomes. But town management as a whole has not fathomed that yet.
I was on the Finance committee for 18 years and the select board for three as well as the School board for three years. There was wasteful spending then and still continues to be because the citizens of Rumford allow it to happen each year. In my many years of service, it is difficult to instill insight into people, on these boards, that refuse to open their eyes to what will happen down the road when they refuse to listen to the people.
Spending is way out of hand for all three towns in the River Valley area. Three towns that could be one entity yet have their own identities and still have a population of less than 12,000, all sharing one goal together and that is survival. Broaden the tax base so it levels out for entire River Valley area. We become stronger in numbers.
The arrogance of a few will keep putting the River Valley area into higher tax brackets each year if we don’t start saying “no." Stop the unions from scaring you into voting "yes." Stop the greedy people from getting greedier. Make the RSU become thriftier. We don’t need to pay back more bonds for anymore new schools. We have schools now that can do the entire schooling needs through consolidation of what we presently have now.
Drastic changes are needed and it starts with the voters. Put the right people on boards and in elected offices, who want to be there for the right reasons and not their own agendas or prestige image. Then maybe this entire area will start working for the betterment of all and not just a few.
Frank DiConzo,
Rumford