Reprinted from The Trumbull Times © Copyright 2009
September 24, 2009

To the Editor:

A 11.6% property tax increase! I remember it all too well, the anger, the frustration, and the confusion by taxpayers' wondering why?

In the first budget right after our first selectman won his last election, he provides the Board of Finance with a disrespectful 11.6% tax increase on us all. His response? It's okay, it will change after the Board of Finance and Town Council are finished with it.

Our first selectman would rather not be a leader and make the difficult decisions that face us. Is that what we want in our town executive? To leave the hard work up to others?

Our first selectman is out of touch with reality. While many in town are losing their jobs, foreclosing on their homes and trying to pay for their medicine, Mr. Baldwin wanted to slap you the taxpayer with an 11.6% increase to our already high taxes while at the same time buying more property, disregarding our pension liability and hiring more people.

It's time for a change, time for new ideas, time for better leadership, time for fiscal responsibility, it's time for Tim Herbst as our next first selectman. His 11 years in town government gives him more experience in our town's government than what our first selectman had when he ran.

As a fiscal conservative and member of the Board of Finance I would be very happy to see Mr. Herbst and his very experienced team lead our town into the future.

Mark Smith, R
Board of Finance