The athletic user fee override request question on this year’s ballot is a bad idea. Here’s why.
We elect and appoint town officials to make tough decisions for us. Sometimes those decisions are even tougher due to circumstances such as current financial and economic conditions.
By placing an earmarked or special interest override on the ballot, the Board of Selectmen turns over its responsibility of making a tough decision to another body—in this case, the public. Some claim this to be “democracy in action.” Why should this decision be easier for the public to make than for an informed board who understands the budget and the reasons behind it?
So, what happens next? If this earmarked override passes, no matter its limited intended purpose, we progress toward the philosophy that says it’s okay to pit one special interest group against another. Before you know it, we’ll have one town committee pitting itself up against another committee, or board, pleading its case to the voters. I for one do not believe that is how we want our town to be run.
We elect officials to make decisions for us, not pass the tough choices to someone else. Even though passage of this article would benefit this household substantially in the next several years, we shall vote against it. We urge residents to join us and vote against the athletic user fee override on May 4, and for Kirsten Wright for School Committee.
Bruce and Marylin Morgan
Peninsula Road
