Friday, November 04, 2005
Incumbents Absent from Taxpayer's Association Panel
In another stunning display of arrogance, the current running council members decided that taxes aren't important in West Hartford, so they decided not to show up to the West Hartford Taxpayer's Association forum last night. Those who were at the event included Mark Sinatro, Steve Sinatro, Tom Knox, Mike Zullo, Joe Visconti, Sylvia Schindelman and Lib Brassil-Spinella. Absent were the members of the council who at the last budget process struggled to keep the tax increase down to 4.63%.
The members of the panel spoke of creative revenue streams, increasing our tax base with low impact/high tax businesses and trimming the fat in the administration among other topics. It was unfortunate that we couldn't hear from the incumbents on how they propose to keep taxes down...One could infer that they intend to do nothing of the kind.
Once again, I call on the Hartford Courant to report the news. The fact that the democrats have avoided 2 consecutive WH Taxpayer's Association meetings is news.
Have a great day...
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Town Keeps Strong Rating
November 4, 2005
By TOM PULEO, Courant Staff Writer WEST HARTFORD -- The town is one of 41 municipalities nationally to hold AAA designations from the nation's two largest bond rating agencies.
Moody's Investor Services' AAA rating was awarded Monday, a month after Standard & Poors' AAA rating.
The ratings are used by institutional investors, such as large banks and insurance companies, when bonds are sold to financial institutions. A high rating helps a municipality secure lower interest rates when it sells bonds to fund capital projects.
The town has had the twin ratings for more than three decades. In February, both rating houses reaffirmed the top scores for the town's fiscal health, citing strong management and a diverse economic base.
On Oct. 12, the town sold $48.8 million 20-year general obligation bonds at 4.25 percent. Proceeds will fund various projects related to Blue Back Square.
The projects include $13.5 million for site improvements, $11.4 million for a north garage, $11.1 million for a south garage, $5.8 million for a library expansion, $2.0 million for new senior center, $500,000 for the probate court, and $4.6 million for town hall renovations.
I'm so glad you brought that triple A bond rating to our attention. It is certainly proof everything is just fine in our town and if not, it will solve all of our woes. It somehow means that the tax increases (20% over 4 years) have been painless. Additionally, our town manager must flawlessly manage our town, so no need for the council to lift a finger to check on him once in a while or heaven forbid actually open the books and try to figure out some ways to operate more efficiently or increase our tax base without taxing our infrastructure with dense retail business. Yep, with a triple A bond rating we should pretty much just give Barry a raise, his fringe benefits and look the other way as taxes go up, services go down, our schools slip and Elmwood and our ball fields continue to fall into disrepair. As a property owner and a parent of childern attending the public schools, I can practically feel my wallet growing and my kids getting a better education just thinking about a triple A bond rating. Why with a triple A bond rating why even bother having a town council? - everything must be running perfectly. I'm so glad you brought that to our attention. Additionally we can sleep well at night knowing that although we have exceeded our town debt limit set forth in our charter, we are safe because Moody's and S&P always get the rating right and can forsee any trouble before it hits - just like they saw Enron or those insurance companies in the 80's that went under coming. I'm sure management was being completely forthcoming with info in those situations as well. Triple A bond rating - wow, we must be the luckiest town around to have Barry for a manager.
I imagine that the poster's point in posting the article concerning the AAA bond rating was to show that the town's financial position is not as bad as some would like to believe. Of course, WH can improve, and of course eveyone would like to pay lower taxes. The point, however, is that the town is not in as bad a shape as the anit-BBS, WH Taxpayer's Assn., and the Republican TC would like us to believe.
The satirical post above is part of the mean spiritited campaign of the anti-BBS crowd that seeks to displace reasonable disagreement with personal attacks, groundless accusations and frivilous lawsuits. I think the Republicans will get hammered tomorrow. I will be voting mostly Democrat, and I am a registered Republican.
The republican party is not anti-BBS as you would say. Speak with Mike Seder, the chairman of the WH Republican Town Committee. The Republican party is attemptign to bring real issues to the table like taxes and schools. Sure the town is in fine shape, then why have our taxes gone up 20% in 4 years? Our AAA rating is so good, because we have a nice base from which to continue to raise taxes, which the town manager and democratic party don't mind doing at all.
Vote for your favorite democrat on the BBS issue, that's fine. Right now, BBS isn't an issue, it's a reality. The dems have obviously made you believe that this election is about BBS, which was their goal. It's a perfect direction to point you in instead of pointing you at the real issues.
Mr. Quigley,
I enjoy your blog, but I am puzzled by your most recent post. You say BBS is a reality but a scroll through your prior posts shows that much of your blog is devoted to updates of litigation that would like to derail the BBS project.
J. Chamberlian
Well said J. Chamberlian.
On a different note, why would anyone listen to how education needs be improved in West Hartford by a person who left the word "incumbants" on their website for four days.
Needless to say, the average Hall or Conard grad would not have made such an embarrassing mistake.
It's either an indictment of the website's author or East Tennessee State University. Or both.
hey check out your illustrious Barbara Carpenter's blog - she is a teacher and can't spell endorsements..
so give the spelling lesson a rest..
you folks are so wrapped up in the Blue Back issue that you can't see the real issues..
How about that bond rating?? anyone catch the fact that 2 million dollars is double counted? we have the senior center accounted for in the blue back bond (according to the above press release) as well as 2 million in the capital improvement bond.. but you are so dense you didn't catch it.. maybe Moody's would be interested in the games being played with the bond money.. eh?
meanwhile the Dems are so busy hiding from the taxpayers they won't answer any of the real questions facing us.
I beg to differ.. I believe the Democrats will lose two seats..
just call me anonymous Too...
Wow, everyone's a genious. Make a spleling msitake and the nmae callnig coems out agian.
This has been the calling card of the anonymous...you're brilliant.
Back to the important comment...Mr. Chamberlain, while it is no secret that I think Blue Back Square is a dirty deal brought by dirty politicians and a dirty town management, the Republican Party has not been anti-BBS at any point. Yes, I have been and continue to be anti-bbs, but not once has the party denounced BBS as a body. The Democratic Party in town is feeding that idea through the Hartford Courant and through its own propaganda to sway voters away from the new Republicans. It is just another ploy in a long line going back to the referenda last year.
It boils down to this, the Democrats call names and make false claims, while the Republicans talk about real issues. I've only been here for 5 years and that's all I've seen in this town.
Good luck tomorrow, may the best people win.
(Thanks to Mr. Chamberlain for leaving his name)
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