by guest blogger Linda Baum
If you’ve been driving anywhere in Middletown, you can’t miss the big red and white signs that claim Mayor Fiore puts “taxpayers first”. That’s been the line for years now. That the Republican majority continues to use it shows their arrogance. Sadly, they have managed to keep so many of us in the dark.
I suppose they should feel confident. Remember last year when our Republican-controlled Town Committee left you with the impression that a 13.4% municipal tax increase was just 2.8%? They had at their disposal all sources of communication coming out of Town Hall – the town’s own newspaper, press releases, robocalls, and a tax information sheet all delivered straight to your home and paid for with your tax dollars. You were probably scratching your head back then. And I bet, like me, for a while you were uncertain of your own basic math skills. And that was the idea – not to inform, but to mislead. That is not how you serve taxpayers. What they did was deliberate and dishonest, and completely self-serving.
The Republican party’s control over information in Middletown has gone on for years. If you have ever asked a question at a Town Committee meeting, you may have experienced that first hand, and it has never been more true than it is now that an all-Republican committee sits on the dais.
Residents have just two opportunities each month – the first and third Monday -- to connect with our representatives, but they don’t seem to want to talk to us. If you’ve been brave enough to stand at the microphone and ask nearly anything, you’ve most likely been made to feel like an annoyance. You’ve got just five minutes – that’s the rule. Use it or lose it, and no second chances after you sit down. If you aren’t satisfied with the answer you get, they may invite you to stay after the meeting when no one else is there to hear them. Or you can always try again at the next town meeting, if you don’t mind being scolded for being repetitive. I was, and my question went unanswered to boot.
It would be downright comical if it weren’t true. If you don’t believe me, then grab your popcorn and come down to Town Hall. You’ll have to catch the live show because town meetings aren’t televised in Middletown like they are in so many other towns. That’s for lack of funds, supposedly, but let’s see what the story is in 2014 when $200,000 in grant money becomes available from Comcast specifically for that purpose. What excuse will our Republican majority give then for continuing to keep us in the dark?
You won’t find much information about what was discussed at meetings in the Town’s meeting minutes, either. If you really want to know what happened, read “It’s Your Town Hall”, newsletter that are written by town resident Don Watson, who took it upon himself to attend town meetings and to keep others informed about what’s going on. If you want to be included in his distribution, send an email to Itsourtown@yahoo.com.
If taxpayers were really first, governmental proceedings would be accessible to all residents no matter what their schedule or ability to attend meetings, including those who are disabled or have limited mobility. And by the way, those folks are still waiting for the Township to fully comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. Money is lacking, town officials say, among other reasons given for delays. However, since that law was enacted, our republican-controlled town committee has poured money into a host of costly unnecessary projects when better less-costly alternatives existed – the Pool Club and Arts Center are examples. Taxpayers are not only paying the debt for these purchases, but hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual upkeep as well.
And did you know that the town’s appointed engineer – the same firm now for 40 years –pockets about $1 million dollars a year in taxpayer funds awarded to them as no-bid contracts? Think how much tax relief could have been provided by putting those engineering contracts out to competitive bid. That’s money that could have been returned to you or used for other purposes. If taxpayers were really first, our republican majority would have done just that. Instead, members of that same engineering firm can be seen celebrating with republican candidates every year on election night. If it sounds like pay to play, that’s because it is. And you’re paying for it.
Somebody is first in Middletown, but not taxpayers. Not in a very long time. On November 8th, you can change that.
25 comments:
I wonder how the Republican majority would respond if Ms. Baum read this into the record at a township committee meeting?
It would be great if she spoke first so others in attendance could follow with questions. Hopefully, local reporters would approach her with follow-up questions, as well -- there are some bright, informed, concerned citizens whose perspective and expertise deserves to be reported on. Sometimes the only thing between questionable (bad, maybe corrupt) governmemt and the public they are supposed to serve is good, solid insightful reporting and an editor who respects that kind of reporter and story.
Nice job Linda. I enjoy reading your articles and agree with the previous poster.
Keep up the good work.
Change to Democrats who tax and spend, hell no, already they are taking about spending money to air townhall meetings, no Democrats needed in ths town.
anon 8:31: Did you even read Ms. Baum's article? Recording township meetings will not raise your taxes and we get $200K from Comcast for the public access. So get real.
The Republicans have been the tax and spend party in this town for 30 years. Your comments are laughable.
Anon,
Really you must grow up and stop with the nonsense!
Not once have you ever heard a local Democrat for Township Committee advocate to higher taxes, as a matter of fact,both Patrick Short and Sean Byrnes voted against every tax increase during their tenure on the TC. If anything they were tax hawks who presented numerous ideas and items for budget cuts in order to reduce property taxes in Middletown.
What happened to their ideas? They were ignoredand mocked by the majority. Now that Short and Byrnes are no longer on the TC their ideas are stolen and presented by the Republicans as their own.
Televising meeting would not have cost the Township a single penny in the past to implement. Middletown received over $200K grants from the cable companies that would have covered the cost of video equipment and set-up.
What happened to all that money? When the questioned was asked, no one had an answer.
Middletown will be receiving another $200k grant in 2014 from the cable companies. Do you think that the TC will use that money to fund broadcasting of meetings? Not likely.
What do the Republicans in this town think they are hidding?
Thanks Mike, We are so sick and tired of the crap that comes out of the mouths of the Republicans controling this town.
By the way, I heard former Republican insider Richard Morrel is running as an Independent. I think he's mad as hell at Peter Carton & co. for what they have done to this town.
"Tax payer first" is a joke.
Should read "Peter Carton First", Lawyers second and T&M Engineering third.
Is that Robert or Richard Morrell ?
If it's Robert Morrell,are we talking about a former police officer in Middletown. That is an interesting development for sure........
Keep us posted,Mike.
Anon 5:06
Richard Morril is the Indy Candidate for Township Committee.
Mr. Morril is a member of the Middletown Housing Authority and was part of the Strategic Planning Committee Chaired by Sean Byrnes a couple of years ago.
Ms. Baum fails to disclose that when our current Mayor delivered a budget on time this year that conformed with the Governor's 2% cap (for which this blog said would be a 15% tax increase if I recall) that not one Democratic candidate questioned the budget and offered ideas for further cuts. Instead, they offered ideas to create further spending for televised meetings.
This township has an obligation to inform the public that they are supposed to serve about what is taking places in this town's TC meetings.
No excuses,no smoke and mirrors,no backroom business. It is the business of the people and the people have a right to know.
This current bunch thinks they are running a communist regime and treat us as if we are their subjects. They defy law and reason.
Peter Carton and his gang of fefient, egotistical and brazen thugs are destroying this township !
Anon 9:19
Democrats have presented plenty of great ideas. The problem is that republicans aren't listening -- that is, until they can take credit for an idea themselves like they did with Recycle2save (thanks go to Sean Byrnes for that idea).
At the library board meeting in February of this year, long before the town's 2011 budget was adopted, I reminded the mayor of a suggestion by former Committeemen Byrnes and Short to privatize all leaf and brush collection. The republican majority reluctantly agreed to do that a couple years back for just 2 of 46 districts and a $100,000 savings was realized. That could be $500,000 or even $1 million or more if expanded to include all districts. Counting the mayor, at least four members of the town committee were at that meeting. So don't tell me they weren't advised.
And regarding televising, the town already has broadcasting equipment in operation at town hall. We just need a couple of halfway decent cameras and some DVDs. It doesn't cost much at all. And since Comcast will provide the funding, the net cost is zero.
And do everyone a favor, stop acting like conforming to a cap is the goal. It's a ceiling, there are lots of ways around it, and they should be doing much better. It's sad that so many people have come to accept tax increases as the norm, so much so that we actually applaud a 3% increase. Would you like to lead the cheering section for last year's increase as well?
The tax assessor did the dirty work for the current administration with screwing around with assessed valuations. That lowered the taxes on higher assessments and clobberred those in the middle and at the bottom of assessments relative to the average assessment figure after reassessment (not revaluation) done in 2010.
As always figures don't lie,liars figure !
Linda -
When there are legitimate points to be made, why obscure them with outright lies?
The tax increase in 2010 was talked about in two different ways: the increase in the amount to be raised by taxes, and the amount the tax rate was raised. Two different numbers, one larger than the other, but both a legitimate representation of the change in taxes. Then you go and charge that taxpayer money was used for political campaigning as well - a flat out lie!
Of course, the real number to look at is the actual budget, which has gone down steadily. Taxes have gone up because of increased expenses and decreased state aid, but, of course, Ms. Baum is "confused" about that and chooses instead to misrepresent the truth in vain hope that it will make a difference come November. It won't!
The truth is that the people of Middletown know and trust the Republican party with their tax dollars, certainly a whole hell of a lot more than they do anybody else!
Any citizen can come to the employees of the Township and get their questions answered. The "Public Comments" section of TC meetings is for comment and not for political grandstanding or problem solving.
Again, fortunately the people of the Township understand that.
You have talent Linda, and you could have a lot to offer if you weren't so intent on making yourself irrelevant by chasing problems that don't exist.
Let em give you an example. You complain about T&M, but you fail to realize that the Town DOES bid out the engineering contract every year, you fail to know that T&M are doing less and less every year, and that much of what T&M does make comes from escrows and not the taxpayers in any event.
If you're going to be a political pundit dear, you'd better get the facts before spouting off...
Anon 9:19 AM,
The tax levy was capped at 2%. The township commitee submitted a 2.9% tax levy increase -- there are exceptions to the 2% cap. To meet the cap requirements the township committee strong-armed and then took $500,000 from library funds that were designated for capital improvements. The library will now have to bond, through the T.C. which will raise taxes, to make those improvements.
The township committee has also taken $700,000 from the sewerage authority to fund the budget -- money that could have been used to pay down sewerage authority debt.
These two examples are emblematic of the township committee's talent for mismangement of taxpayer dollars.
Note the 2% cap is on the tax levy, not the tax rate. The committee needed to raise about $45,000,000 dollars through taxes to cover a $61,000,000 budget. To do this the tax rate went up double didgits -- about 13%.
Anon 9:19 AM,
The township has collected fees (about $200,000) from Comcast that would easily and many times over cover the cost of telvising meetings. In the past residents, P. Short and S. Byrnes have offered ideas that the Township Committee adopted years later: reducing the number of days that the Recycling Center was open; an outsourcing of leaf and brush experiment that saved money; the Recycle2Save program was introduced by Mr. Byrnes; eliminating the $250,000 a year to subsidize the utility costs of the cultural arts center has been ignored -- to date taxpayers have spent $10,000,000 to keep the "self supporting" art center going.
Anon 9:19 AM,
The budget was delivered in July, which is 6 months into the fiscal year and several emergency spending resolutions later. It was a one month improvement over last year.
Wrong again. The budget was introduced in April. The change between introduced and adopted was .1%.
More distortions from the Middletown Democrats.
It is all about the tax levy year to year. It will show how much of an increase - apples to apples year to year.
Legion is another of the pseudo names and aliases of the individual described about as one of the republican hacks in another post on this site ....Wolves baying at the moon again. Tis the season..."silly season".
Legion,
A tax levy and a tax rate are ligiimate representations of taxes; ligitmate doesn't necessarly translate as informed representation. And emphasizing levy isn't a balanced reasonable presentation, when tax rate has more impact on the taxpayer.
Anon 8:41,
Delivered, as in completed, usually means approved, not introduced. The budget was approved six months late.
Well, it looks like it's time for our Mayor to mail out those absentee ballots- only to Republicans. And for some reason, the informational insert about Ms. Murray omits her current career in trash novels.
If "Fibber" ever expects any voter to entrust their voting ballet or application for any ballet to the Middletown Republican Party....think again.
Would not trust them with taking my garbage out !!!
Legion:
Your explanation of how the tax increase was presented in 2010 is a great example of the smoke screen the town created back then. I had to read your explanation multiple times too, like I did the stuff the town sent out in 2010. You just drove home the point.
Per recent news articles, the state defines pay-to-play as directing contracts to campaign contributors and specifically disallows it. So I agree with Ms. Baum – sure sounds like pay to play to me.
RE your comment about taxes going up because of increased expenses, well duh. Didn’t Scharfenberger and Settembrino promise “No new expenses” when campaigning last year? And didn’t the town just introduce an ordinance to bond for $2 million worth of capital projects? Sounds new to me.
Re your comment that residents can get their questions answered by town employees, get real. Those employees are at the town meetings, so that’s their opportunity to provide answers. Good luck finding someone who feels they have received a complete, or completely honest, answer. Most residents leave those meetings more frustrated.
So T&M is doing less and less every year???? Have you checked the recent bill list?! There are tons of entries for T&M.
Anon 1:58: Thank you for showing how the Republicans have been distorting the facts for years.
It's all a game to them and winning at any cost.
Intimidation and the lack of respect they show the public will eventually wear thin especially with many of their own party very unhappy.
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