To the Editor;
I am circulating a petition that asks Mattapoisett citizens to support a Special Town Meeting. This requires 200 signatures and is substantially greater than the 10 signatures required for the petition we seek to revoke. Those petitioners have used inflammatory language falsely claiming it was a Mattapoisett GOP effort and branding me as an enemy of democracy, part of a vast right-wing conspiracy and circumventing the will of the people. Why? Because they have nothing to defend their petition except to call their neighbors names.
John Adams stated that facts are stubborn things. Because “they confuse the issues with logic” that expose false statements and fiery demagogues. Facts are “just plain hard “to dispute. Shame on me for sticking to them.
So, Let’s look at the facts.
Mattapoisett has experienced exceptional results based on “real” metrics.
-Earned a S&P AAA bond rating based on “…the town’s (strong) financial management…”
-Second lowest rate of tax increases over the last 20 years when compared with a dozen surrounding towns of similar size
-Long history of passing financial audits
-Only one small “tax override” in the last 10 years due to needed road repairs. Taxpayers of surrounding Towns wish they could say the same.
-No major lawsuits pending
Compare this to the list of “nice” things the proponents of 2 additional Select Board members claim. They have no real examples of any actual” illnesses” their “medicine” can cure. After 12 FOIA requests where are the results? There are none.
They argue that a Corridor Improvement Project” Advisory Committee was never appointed. What they won’t say is the Select Board had the sole authority to appoint those members. They have had experts at their disposal since the onset. They had no need for a new set of advisors. They clearly stated they would seek help among our populace as needed.
Remember many of those screaming once again are the reason the project has been delayed for 12 years and has soared from $6 million then to over $18 million today. State funders are losing patience. They never asked for a citizens advisory board and were very skeptical of its value. How does $18 million added to our town tax bills sound to you?
I ask those shouting “Foul,” Where’s the Beef? There isn’t any. So, what’s their beef? Maybe they’re just vegetarians?
Ask yourself, “What’s the real reason for not wanting a Special Town Meeting to vote on such a critical issue to our Town?” Shouldn’t such an important issue be decided by more than 110 “Yes” hands raised? It only carried by a majority of about 20, We don’t really know the correct numbers since we never had a hand count. Why not a written ballot that can be counted and verified?
Why don’t the name callers want to give us an opportunity to reconsider? Why do they call neighbors names? Why haven’t they supported their arguments with actual Town shortcomings? Simply, they don’t have any? And they don’t want us to know what’s next. And that should be a warning to all. Facts are very stubborn things.
Paul Criscuolo, Mattapoisett
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