The Tale Of West Hartford Incumbent Democrats And Stolen Campaign Promises by Judy Aron

The Tale Of West Hartford Incumbent Democrats And Stolen Campaign Promises

By Judy Aron

October 22, 2007

Recently the League of Women Voters published their annual campaign guide which presented each West Hartford candidate and their platform. I was absolutely floored to see the Democrats on the Town Council who are running for re-election using phrases and ideas which were initially presented by the West Hartford Taxpayers Association at Town Budget hearings, after taxes were raised by 6.6%, and after we brought them to task about it during the referendum! They directly stole everything that the West Hartford Taxpayers Association had been advocating for; the ideas that we pleaded with them to incorporate - which they criticized us about or said they couldn't do - and now they put those ideas into their own campaign pieces! WHTA promoted ideas such as:

Proposition 2 1/2 - A property tax reform that was scoffed at by the Town Council as impossible and unattainable while that very idea was being pursued at the State level
Making Leisure Services self-sustaining
Making sure taxes were low enough to make it possible for seniors and young families to continue to afford living here
Controlling spending
Making Budget information available in a more meaningful line item format
Freezing salaries
Working with State representatives to fight state unfunded mandates and obtain the funding promised to us

These are the very people who maligned the WHTA, called us all liars and said that we were wrong. They said that government was already open and transparent, and that the budget information details were available to everyone. They claimed we were giving out mis-information about what the problems were in the budget!

Here is a sampling of the ideas floated by the WHTA, and the candidates who now claim them as their own initiatives and ideas, and the ideals they are now striving to achieve. I wonder why they did not have these ideals before the tax referendum, don't you?

Scott Slifka: " We must work to ensure that our residents don't become priced out of their own community." And "[we must] have the ability to administer our own affairs. We must work with the State on long-term solutions to this dilemma, obtaining our full share of State funding and property tax reform."

Carolyn Thornberry: "control administrative costs, make leisure services more self-sustaining, encourage volunteer services…" (the latter was actually Joe Visconti's idea)

Shari Cantor: "Controlling the town budget is critical as is real property reform."

Chuck Coursey: "Tax relief for seniors …..so they can stay in their own homes" and "[make] West Hartford …affordable to young families."

Joe Verrengia: "Locally, we must continue the process of fiscal responsibility through the consolidation of services, scrupulous deliberation of town contracts, increase of user fees, and an increase in community participation and transparency in the budget process." And " ..advocate for a budgetary process that is more specific in line item reporting so that residents know exactly what their hard-earned dollars are being spent on."

Even newcomer Tim Brennan says: "We should pursue property tax reform through the State Legislature."

In their palm cards, Carolyn Thornberry and Scott Slifka even credit themselves with freezing Town management salaries - something that they didn't do until the WHTA proposed and pressed for it at public hearings and not until after the referendum! What's even worse is that Scott Slifka has been decrying the fact that he himself, as mayor, doesn't receive a salary or a staff to perform tasks like answer his emails.

When the West Hartford Taxpayers Association wanted to work with this Council with these ideas, they turned us away, and they maligned us in the newspapers. They even tried to limit our freedom to speak at public hearings. They spat on us. Now they want your vote with those ideas. They are now parroting what WHTA said and what YOU as voters told them you wanted based on the referendum turnout. That is not responsible pro-active leadership; that is reactive governing.

Do they deserve being returned to office? I think not.

It's time to vote for people who really want to see less spending, and who will work with groups like WHTA to do the right thing for all of us. It is time to elect people who will demand fiscal responsibility and controlled spending before a referendum and town division is created. It is time to elect people who will engage and promote real input and participation by citizens so that we do not have to go through time consuming referendum processes.

We need to vote for people who will change our Town Charter and will also take some bold steps to deal with the further effects of year 2 of revaluation, higher MDC taxation, and the funding of our unfunded liabilities to satisfy GASB 34 requirements, as well as protesting State mandates. The time for real change is now. Vote Republican.