January 25, 2007

Your Killingworth Republican Town Committee extends its heartiest best wishes to all our citizens for a happy and healthy New Year.

Our town committee has public school teachers, people in the arts, local businesspeople, retirees, and all of us are devoted and concerned citizens.  In deference to the new Democratic administration, we have been largely silent about our town’s problems and opportunities.  We as a thoughtful team have decided to write a regular report for you.  The Report will focus on not only Killingworth, but also our beautiful state of Connecticut and our proud and humble nation.  Above all, we are concerned about the security and prosperity of our town, state and country.

Our first wish for 2007 is that our leadership, The Selectmen, will get along. Their meetings are rancorous and a detriment to all of us.  Spirited debates are good things. But harsh words, shouting, and the lack of decorum do not lead to positive results.  Fred Dudek, our dedicated Republican Selectman, should not have to referee his Selectmen colleagues with a time-out whistle.  Time-outs are for naughty children and sports teams in trouble, not for adults elected to high office.  Behave yourselves, Selectmen.

The Democrats promised our town many things when they were elected. At the head of the list was a “Plan for the Future.” We were optimistic that they would develop a plan for our town and taxpayer’s money, and we have waited patiently. What we have seen this past year is emergency spending and new projects, but no plan.  Perhaps Planning is a dirty word to our Democratic friends.

The vast majority of our taxes go to fund our children’s schools, which we are all proud to finance.  However, $4,000,000 is for our town budget. That is a lot of taxpayer’s money for a small town with approximately 7,000 citizens. Some money is annually budgeted for our roads. Our roads need chip sealing, sweeping, as well as other forms of maintenance.  The sludge lagoons need remediation while the Democrats fight among themselves.  Your money, $95,000, has already been budgeted for chip sealing our roads.  But, year to date $0.00 have been expended.   Rather than planning, and putting our town’s paid employees to work, the Democrats fight with each other.  Morale in the Killingworth Highway Department is at low ebb. They wait for instructions that do not come but for emergencies.  Shape up, Democrat Selectmen! Use our citizen’s money for projects they voted for and paid for.

Speaking of voting for projects, our taxpayers voted to buy the huge parcel from the Wettish family to build sports fields for our children.  How long must we wait for a plan to build our much needed recreation facilities?  Where is the plan?

Then there is the Bosco property and the attempt to sell a portion of the land with its house.  Instead, the Democrats apparently believe our purchase was for only open land and future recreation. After fighting with each other, and making stringent purchase requirements for the house that resulted in not one bid for it, we are now locked out of selling that parcel.

Things move backwards at Town Hall with these Democrats. An updated Capital Plan should have been scheduled before, not after this year’s budget cycle. Our town has needs to plan for. These include the bridge on Burr Hill, the entrance to Green Hill, Sludge Lagoon remediation and recreation facilities on the former Wettish property.  First we should plan, and then the money will come. But, the Democrats don’t think so. Under their backwards way of doing things, the money might not be available for some of these needs until the summer of 2008. There are state funds available to assist communities like Killingworth.  To get the funding we need to play by state rules.  We are not confident the Democrats are planning our projects to move state money into Killingworth. 

Will you, the taxpayer, change the rancor to decorum in Town Hall so that Killingworth and our families will be bettered with planning?
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Please send questions or comments to the Killingworth Republican Town Committee via communications chairman, Lynne Baron, at baronart@comcast.net  - www.killingworthrepublicans.org