DISQUS

Serious_ly · 1 month ago

It seems to me that most of the time spent by the Finance Committee is relatedt to the year-in-year-out balancing of department staffing and maintenance budgets, rather than the evaluation of novel proposals.
None of the methodology suggested here addresses the basic problem of weighing the relative "valuea" of different alternatives for spending the town's money. Much of the budget debate centers around different opinions of what is "best for everyone". The challenge is that the town consists of lots of individuals, with very different values for different services.

HeywoodJa · 1 month ago

Ken Seifert--I really think you need to be the Town Manager. You're one of the few in public life who has his priorities in order.

I don't think anyone has an exaggerated view of your capabilities--you ran the schools on a budget that wouldn't cover "sundries" for them nowadays, and you worked a damn sight harder (and more effectively--with less help) than the current incumbent.

I'm disgusted enough to think about moving. I never thought I would--but the past decade of "tax and spend" (and I am a Democrat, so it pains me to use that term) policies, and stupid spending decisions have really left me with a foul taste in my mouth about the ability of the town managers to do the right thing for the citizens here.

They spend money like it's a personal slush fund, and when they run out, they call a panicked town meeting at an inconvenient time to shove through a tax here or a surcharge there. They're either stupid, incapable, or they just don't CARE.

It's a patchwork MESS.

Your ideas are good ones.

I wish you'd get back into government.