Dan Gaudette's Letter To The Editor

Editor, The Ocean Star:

Over the next few weeks you will see expensive full color ads talking about how Sue Rogers gave us a zero percent increase in our municipal taxes. I am amazed how happy Sue Rogers is to tell residents how she voted to BORROW almost $600,000 and how we will pay this money back over three years with PROJECTED savings. It is like paying a credit card with a credit card while hoping to win the lottery.

For the next three years, before one bill is paid, the town of Point Pleasant starts almost $200,000 in the hole. Last week, Toni Depaola, who also voted to borrow the money, wrote in this paper we will have a “2011 budget crisis.”

How will we pay our bills? The shared service with the building department is on hold. We just spent millions upgrading out town hall and police department. And our governor has imposed a 2-percent increase cap which is significantly less than previous years. And since we did not raise the rate to cover our bills, that 2-percent cap is less than it could have been. Where will we get the money? Who is putting residents first? Remember despite furloughs and possible job losses, Susan Rogers refused to take a pay cut.

So why would someone make such a poor financial decision to pay a credit card with a credit card? It is very simple; Sue Rogers is playing politics with our town. The ads and letters were published in this paper before the zero increase was even approved. It is center of her campaign. The zero tax increase is all about politics, not residents first.

We all know you have to pay your bills and when you do not, there will be grave consequences. If you borrow money to pay your bills you will only owe more money. Look at our water prices. “We’ve been borrowing from the surplus and haven’t raised rates,” said Sue Rogers quoted last week in this paper. The penalty for not looking forward is a 16-percent increase in our water bill. 16-percent increase in our water hurts. What will borrowing money do to our municipal taxes? Borrowing money will only raise our taxes.

It is time to move forward with a responsible government. One that is going to make the tough choices for the future, not do anything to get elected. We need a government that is not going to make back room deals or make villains out of the town employees and police. Take back our town! VOTE POINT PLEASANT 2010, SCHROEDER, GOSS AND RUSK!

DAN GAUDETTE
River Avenue, Point Pleasant