It’s about time to rise above all the local sound and fury (“signifying nothing”). I read the letters praising the job the sitting mayor has done and have to wonder, what are these folks talking about?

First of all, no one can take credit for Colby’s rebuild of downtown Waterville. They had to make this investment or choose to not grow, lose enrollment and lose status. True to America’s long history, the guys with all the money do what they want. The mayor and anyone else in the dedication frames were showing up for the photo op and that’s it.

So, let’s say that the mayor had a hand in keeping the tax rate down. But what we need is more revenue, and the majority of Maine voters voted for a surcharge on income over $200,000. That money would have been used for revenue sharing and a significant amount would have found its way back to us, as it should have. But there was our mayor railing against it, working against the interests of Waterville taxpayers. We are owed that money but the governor and mayor continue to undercut us, driving up the property tax rate.

I am sure the mayor’s tweets and postings are part of a larger agenda, but they are not about fiscal responsibility. They are about putting another bogeyman in the closet, about making people believe the sky is falling. The facts do not matter.

I am not a member of “the liberal elite.” I don’t even know who that is. I am a working person who makes decisions based upon facts. I am sure that elected leaders owe us at least that. I am not hearing them from the mayor and his too often rude band of followers.

Stephen R. Aucoin

Waterville


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