It is commendable for the Staffieri administration to once again attempt to keep taxes down, however, in its efforts to do so, we are witnessing the City of Derby follow the same harmful direction the State of Connecticut is attempting to recover from.
Taxes are a vital part of keeping our city functioning efficiently. In order to keep our roads in decent condition, our schools adequately funded, our street department fully staffed and our streets safe from crime, we must all accept this responsibility.
Over the past five years, the mishandling of several lawsuits levied against the City of Derby have cost you, the taxpayer, millions of dollars in avoidable legal fees.
That is simply unacceptable.
Money depleted from our fund balance that began at approximately $5.5 million when Mayor Staffieri took office has dwindled to $1.4 million today, and a vast majority of that lost revenue was preventable.
Alternatively, this money could have been used to keep all city services up to par. Instead, Mayor Staffieri is requesting a zero-growth budget that will inevitably include cutting back programs while incurring additional layoffs. We should have been well within our means.
The Mayor came into office with a sizable reserve. He and his administration must be held accountable for the negative financial ramifications that Derby is facing today. The Mayor and his administration must stop playing games with the well-being of our city as each election rolls around.
Derby is proceeding in a direction that we cannot afford to go in. This administration has spent the last five years sidestepping and delaying difficult decisions that should have already been made. As the saying goes, Mayor Staffieri is robbing Peter to pay Paul.
We need to demand immediate actions to amend this irresponsibility or we will all contribute to, and share in, the hefty liability down the line.
The author is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Mayor Anthony Staffieri.
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