Easy Choices

As we ramp up our little corner of the Internet, here's the crux of our argument:

Mayor Dan Mylott and the City Council took the easy way out in the summer, hoped for an easy solution, and some officials are trying to find the second-easiest solution. Throughout this budget situation, they haven't made the tough choices, and we're not going to bail them out.

The mayor and the council approved an unbalanced budget, with the hopes that the state would fill in the gap. You can debate the odds of this happening both ways, but the fact of the matter is there were no guarantees. The state didn't step in. Now, folks are looking to residents to essentially do what the Legislature didn't -- pay the bill.

This is a bill we don't want. Residents in Fitchburg already take on an unfair portion of the tax burden. Yes, we want a safe city, good schools for our kids, and pothole-free roads. But we also need a responsible and effective government.

Perhaps because they were facing an election, the mayor and council took a pass on making cuts. If that's the reason, shame on them. If not, well, that still needs to be explained.

Mylott and many councilors are opposed to the override. We hope they contact us and help our effort (e-mail us). But some city leaders, like the police chief and quite possibly teachers' union officials, are looking for an override.

This sets a dangerous precedent that we don't want. Taxpayers fulfill their responsibility when they pay their bills. City leaders haven't fulfilled their's on this issue. We can't have the city relying on the state or the taxpayers to bail them out year after year. We don't want to make this a recurring problem.

We know the option is cutting city services, and at least this year we support that option. Some times tough love is the answer, and we think this is one of those times.

Again, we value input, and especially support. Let us know if you're with us. We'd like to claim we -- and by that we mean "we" as everyone in town -- have a strong voice on this matter.