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After serving on the Charter Revision Commission and taking part in debates about the merits of changing the charter, I came to notice the differences in the arguments for or against the change. Some have said that this change allows a small special interest group, the Winchester Taxpayers Association, special access to the budget process. I have thought about that quite a bit and have not been able to figure how there is any special access to the budget. True, it takes a lot of time to look over the budget in order to have an accurate presentation, but that is hardly special access. And it takes time to develop literature and do mailings or place ads in papers. Your reward for all of your efforts might be to save yourself a very few dollars on your local tax bill. Let's face it—taxes have actually gone down here only once in the decade that I have been active in the annual budget festivities. If anything, the proposed change to the Charter opens up the process to more participation. More ... The Charter question is not a partisan issue and it is not only Republicans who favor its defeat. As a member of the Winchester Democratic Town Committee, I am opposed to the charter change as proposed. Although I favor an all-day referendum at which all the citizens can approve or reject the budget approved by the selectmen, I am opposed to the provision that would give voters the ability to reduce the budget at a town meeting. More ... |
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