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Suffering from Whiplash
| I seem to be suffering from whiplash. In one paper, I see Republicans preemptively blaming Democrats for the horrors of the upcoming budget. In the following paper, I find the Republican Town Committee Chairman congratulating Republicans on passing a fiscally responsible budget. Not only am I suffering from whiplash, but I must be growing forgetful as well, because I recall a bipartisan discussion of a Democrat led council, during which each motion that passed had bipartisan support. Really, though, I am simply disappointed by such a brazen attempt at political spin. First, I voted in favor of lowering our pension rate of return to 6.25% per our Board of Finance’s recommendation. I voted in favor of the move to 6.25% because I felt it was reasonable to do so and we had an opportunity to do so this year. My fellow Democrats presented a counter proposal to ease the burden of moving to 6.25% over two years. I don’t fault my fellow Democrats for taking this position, and anyone who suggests to you that Glastonbury’s financial future hinged on this vote is engaging in purely partisan hyperbole. Moreover, any suggestion that this was a Republican “victory” is also spin. This was a bipartisan recommendation by a Democratically chaired Board of Finance, and it passed because I, a Democrat, voted for it. Chairman Norman also suggests Glastonbury realized $500,000 in savings because Republicans led the charge for a reduction in our capital improvements budget. This is false. This reduction occurred because numerous council members, including myself and several of my Democratic colleagues, questioned throughout the budget process, the need to maintain a certain level of spending this year when several projects ultimately required less funding than was budgeted. Chairman Norman’s suggestion that our town will be able to maintain its “top notch education system” because of the efforts of Republicans is also false. I have to assume that the unrealized savings that Chairman Norman refers to in his letter was the additional cuts the Republicans wished to make to the Board of Education budget. In this unique year, the Democrats agreed that the board could absorb greater cuts than even the Board of Finance had recommended. An even larger cut, however, would have placed that top notch education system at risk. It would have also placed us in a difficult position next year, likely requiring a tax hike to pay for a shortsighted slash in the budget. While we are on the subject of things that might have been had Republicans been in charge, for the past few years, let me provide some insight on the budget process last year. In 2020, we were faced with a need to incorporate a spike in pension costs associated with new mortality tables. The Republican proposal was to raise your taxes. That proposal failed. This year, as we have for the past four years. the Democrat led council successfully maneuvered multiple budget pressures with an eye toward maintaining a reasonable tax burden for our fellow citizens. This March, we were able to pass the lowest budget increase in years. Let me end this with one final correction. A low mill rate increase is not a “victory” for Republicans, nor for Democrats. It is a victory, to the extent any “increase” can be, for Glastonbury and my fellow citizens. And it was accomplished by a Democrat led council through bipartisan cooperation.. |
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