Alderman Fainer, presumably speaking on behalf of the Della Volpe administration, calls parts of the Cassetti Game Plan “insane.”
What’s really insane, however, is that Ansonia now carries the ninth highest tax rate in the state.
Even more ludicrous is the fact that the present administration, which led Ansonia to this dizzying height atop Connecticut’s tax totem pole, can offer no more than unconvincing excuses and mean-spirited attacks against those calling for change.
For the record, bringing taxes down is a fundamental priority for Dave’s team. Anyone attending Board of Aldermen meetings for the past four years can attest to that. The Republican candidates were merely underscoring an unfortunate fact: this administration has made one heck of a mess to clean up.
Fortunately, Dave has offered the first plan to lower taxes and give Ansonia a fresh start. His critics in city hall have yet to offer a plan of their own. Rather, they are content to point fingers, assign blame (even, at one point, to the Bush administration) and exclaim: “no can do!”
At the end of the day, Ansonia residents must ask: what, if anything, do the folks running city hall stand for?
Clearly not for accountability. Alderman Fainer makes it clear that he would not place responsibility for the city’s finances in the hands of elected officials. As of now an unelected tax board has the final, unchecked say on spending and taxes (the aldermen’s budget is not final), insulating elected officials from the blame. The folks running city hall would like to keep it that way.
Clearly not for saving money. A city manager would help to centralize business and day-to-day finance operations (taking over the administrative duties of the tax board), allowing the mayor to be more effective at less cost to taxpayers. Right now administrators in city hall are collectively paid over $1 million per year. The folks running city hall would like this to continue.
Clearly not for transparency. Dave has called for all city expenditures to be posted online. City hall’s response? Get it yourself through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
What does this administration stand for? Judging from Alderman Fainer’s letter, the answer is simple: they stand strong and resolute for “more of the same.” More of the same tired policies that have saddled Ansonia with the ninth highest tax rate out of 169 municipalities in the state.
I am not certain by what Alderman Fainer means by his “train out of town” comment, but I do recall writing an opinion piece several months ago in which I stated that Ansonia was heading down the wrong path. It saddens me to see city hall so willing to continue down that road, to the detriment of Ansonia’s residents.
There’s still time to change the road we’re on.
Dave and his team love Ansonia and are willing to fight for the fresh start this city deserves. It’s time to put the excuses aside and move forward.
The writer represents the Seventh Ward on the Board of Aldermen and is the chairman of the Ansonia Town Republican Committee.
