I was disappointed but not surprised to read that Augusta City Council candidate Linda Conti said, “There are enough businesses in Augusta.” Apparently she’s never been to Water Street and seen the empty storefronts.
After reading one of her vague palm cards recently, I decided to email her to ask what her priorities on the council would be. She responded with a curt and typo-riddled litany of spending programs (read: property tax increases).
Maine municipalities increased their property taxes at twice the rate of inflation, even faster than the growth of state government, from 1992 to 2012, during which time revenue sharing remained fairly consistent. In Augusta, we’ve seen spending increase almost 10 percent in the past three years.
Augusta and other Maine cities need more businesses, fewer taxes and fewer politicians like Linda Conti if they want to prosper.
David Sorensen
Augusta
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.