Please, pardon me. I would like to introduce myself. My name is Matthew, and I am a relatively new resident in Brookfield. I moved to CT from out of state and had the opportunity to choose in which town to live. I chose Brookfield over many other towns for several reasons. We have very good schools across the board, from kindergarten on up to high school. We have a good commercial presence in town and room for further growth. The residents are friendly and have a good sense of community. We also have lower taxes than many of our surrounding towns and that was before the reassessment lowered taxes on most households in town this year.
I have been getting involved in town governance, because I care. I care not only about the quality of education delivered by our schools, but also about our town’s general well being as a great place to live. This requires a long-term view. Unfortunately, I think our Federal government has fallen prey to the influence of special interest groups, far-left and far-right factions. This is not what local politics should be about. The issues on the national level do not translate directly to the local level.
Connecticut has a fantastic tradition of government that is new to me, and I like it. I can tell you that I have participated in many discussions and debates over the last year regarding the town budget and school budget. If you have not done so, I encourage you to get involved in those conversations for the next budget. I found everyone involved to be very open to discussion (and educating me!). Thanks to all involved for that. Given the great number of meetings around the two budgets, you have no room to complain if you did not participate.
With regard to the budgets up for voter approval next week, I have seen first-hand the amount of work put into creating, revising and revising yet again the town and school budgets. They are both good, solid budgets. I am not a fan of government spending, but given my view toward economics and a long-term outlook, I thought the school budget was cut too much. The town and school budget proposals grew at a pace less than inflation. Given the cost increase in oil, gas and other supplies, this is an admirable budget proposal. Please don’t fall into the extreme category of cutting costs regardless of impact to our town residents of all ages. Please also don’t forget that the proposed budgets have been vetted prior to the vote by many in town. I must take a moment to tip my hat to First Selectman Bill Davidson and several others on the Boards of Finance and Education for their demonstrated level of fiscal responsibility and their high level of patience during the budget discussions. I also want to thank the many who compiled the proposals for their review.
PLEASE VOTE TO SUPPORT PROPOSED TOWN AND SCHOOL BUDGETS NEXT WEEK.
