Why Is ‘No’ Difficult To Understand?

To the Editor:

What is there about No that our town officials don’t understand?

The budget has been voted down. That means No. Granted, some are trying to “spin” a No vote into a Yes vote and add more to the budget. This is unacceptable to the voters of the community. We cannot allow that spin to be seen as the truth. If we do, how will we ever read election results in the future if a No vote can be interpreted, after the fact, as a Yes vote.

Therefore, as a taxpayer and active voter, I call upon our public officials to stand by what the voters said at the polls. And that is: a No vote can only be interpreted as No increase to the Board of Education budget.

The current economic climate and simple common sense dictate that the BOE, like everyone else in the community, share in the economic downturn. The sooner the BOE learns to live within its means, the better.

The rest of us are experiencing loss of benefits, reduced hours, less pay, furlough days, and even job losses to compensate for the poor economy. Home values are plummeting; foreclosures are on the rise. Other communities around us seem to get the bigger picture. Why not in Newtown? How is it that the BOE is not affected by the larger issues of the day? Why are they alone exempt?

Like any prudent business, the BOE should be thinking strategically about how it can get the most from its resources. One place to start would be to put the high school addition on hold and turn their attention to making the much-need improvements in the middle school. That way, they could keep the ninth grade in the middle school and delay what may turn out to be a misguided and unnecessary addition at the high school.

Vote No for this new budget which goes completely against the wishes of the voters.

Very truly yours,

Walter S. Motyka

5 Kent Road, Newtown                                                       June 2, 2010