Radiofree West Hartford -- The Crow's Nest by Tom Evers

THE CROW'S NEST

West Hartford Residents should be concerned

By Tom Evers

December 04, 2004

Anyone who paid attention during the last election cycle will remember that the Democratic Town Council made their pitch to residents that a large tax increase was necessary to continue the level of services that the Town of West Hartford is supposed to provide. Residents initially rejected the tax increase through the first referendum, but forces for increasing taxation got there way in the second referendum - catapulting West Hartford to one of the highest taxed towns in Connecticut.

Through fear mongering and exaggerated tales of school system in jeopardy of facing a downward spiral, coupled by threats of diminished town services, proponents of high taxation won the day. The problem is clear. The West Hartford Town Council and the Town management - who are a simply a ragtag collection of incapable persons, were clearly unable and unwilling to do the hard work necessary to reconcile the budget or make tough choices. Oh, yes, they attended lots of meetings. They made grandiose speeches about loving West Hartford, and caring for the old and young. But when it came to doing something about growing expenses, instead of seeking ways to reduce the burden on citizens by through outsourcing or renegotiating contracts, or cutting the unnecessary - the only thing on the table was raising taxes.

And surprisingly, Republicans on the Council weren't much better. The evidence supports the fact that West Hartford Republicans are tax and spend liberals too. Did anyone notice that there was not one vote of dissent from Republicans on the Council? Not one voice of reason. Not one alternative suggestion or viewpoint? Some Republicans may have talked tough while the TV cameras were rolling, but at the end of the day the record shows that they did nothing but go along with the increased tax scheme. It is one thing to pretend to be in the taxpayer/s corner, and another to take action through planning and voting to show you are.

In short - Republicans have no representation on the Town Council. It's no wonder Republican voters stayed at home. A wolf in sheep's clothing after all - is nothing more than a wolf. Why vote for a hypocrite, when you can vote for the real thing.

The politicians on both sides spun their tale of collaboration and hard work to the media. But in the end, West Hartford residents faced yet another increase in taxes.

If West Hartford were a business, would it be seen as successful? In plain speak - no. If it were a stock company, would a board of directors accept such money mismanagement? Or would they demand cutting costs and finding efficiencies? The answer in both cases again - no.

Between higher budgets, increased taxes, and an uncertain Blueback Square bond-financing scheme (which no one can seem to explain), Jonathan Harris left a mess. We can all be happy that he's moved on to something else (which unfortunately from another perspective allows him to join the Democratic State Senate, where he can seek to raise taxes at a higher level). It won't take long for Harris' colleague to see him for the hollow figure of a man that he is. It takes little character to cry out for increased spending and higher taxes. Harris left West Hartford in a mess. But in fairness to him - he didn't act alone.

As we start the winter season, we can already begin to see that the commitment to maintain services was nothing more than a lie. The town moved from two leaf pick ups to one leaf pick up. Many residents who happened to be early on the town's street list for leaf pick up were left with more work, more personal expense and lots of leaves to dispose of. And even when residence bagged their leaves, the garbage men didn't pick up the bagged leaves as promised. So as the leaves sat in paper bags in front of driveways for weeks, the bags deteriorated, leaving a mess on the streets. All of this could have been avoided by having a second leaf pick up.

It is probably no skin off of those rich folks who don't have budget concerns, but for the average joe, they are left to deal with the added expense.

A worse situation is that of the new fees around West Hartford's new bulk pick up policy. There was a time when garbage men picked up all types of garbage. In fact, just a few months ago, West Hartford residents could leave a number of things to be picked up through bulk pick up at no extra charge. Well that's all gone now - unless you want to pay another outrageous fee.

If you are unfamiliar with this new policy (and I can see that many residents are from what I see being left at the curbside) then click here: (http://www.west-hartford.com/bulkywaste/default.asp) and for a list of excuses for the increase click here (http://www.west-hartford.com/TownServices/TownDepartments/PublicWorks/BulkyMetalFAQs.htm) reading through the lines, note that the town has the audacity to indirectly put the blame on taxpayers for not wanting a larger tax increase to cover increased costs of garbage collection. But what the FAQ doesn't mention is that town administrators didn't seek to find ways in cheapen the cost, or use the bidding process to secure a company who would charge less for garbage pick up, or seek other alternatives to solve the problem.

One has to chuckle when you read in the FAQ that not everyone is using the service - you might think you're not using the service when you find an item sitting out on your curb when you get home from work on garbage collection day.

But again, this begs the question -- why would we expect town administrators to seek efficiencies and find creative solutions, when their counterparts on the Town Council won't bother.

My fear is that contractors and residents will opt to dump trash in nooks and crannies around town which will lead to even more cost as town officials will be forced to clean up areas or leave West Hartford looking like parts of Hartford.

West Hartford residents are going to have to decide how much they will take? Is there a threshold for increased taxes, lies, and incompetence from Council and Town officials? Will the trend continue or will West Hartford residence finally say enough is enough?

Only time will tell.

Tom Evers