Last night's Town Meeting concluded the first part of West Tisbury's political season. Tomorrow's election will end the season.
Most of you reading this probably believe that Martha's Vineyard is a wealthy place. Yes, there are wealthy people who summer here, but the typical year-rounder is not a wealthy person. In fact, the Island is one of the poorer, if not the poorest, areas in the state. The preceding three sentences represent one aspect of what I thought I'd learned in living here the past five years.
However, based on last night's Town Meeting, I'm starting to think that maybe the Vineyard is really a haven for the wealthy all year round. No matter what the issue, the Town was in a spending mood. Spend $5+ million on renovating Town Hall rather than a million or two less by building a new Town Hall? No problem. Accept continually rising school budgets while the school population is declining year after year? Give me the checkbook. Give Town employees a cost-of-living increase significantly above the rate of inflation? Fine with me.
Do people have that kind of money? You often hear them complain about rising taxes. But, when it comes time to do something about the issue, they don't show up or they get carried away by 'motherhood and apple pie' rhetoric.
You really have to wonder whether those espousing fiscal responsibility will continue to serve the Town, as their research and analysis continues to be discarded by the voters.
1 comment:
I agree that tax money = free money to politicians, even at the local level. Same thing here, declining school populations and they continue expanding the schools - at the same time they lay teachers off and diminish the curriculum. Doesn't make any common sense.
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