Do you ever feel like you’re swimming in dirty dishwater? And your only true ally is in the water next to you, but instead of reaching out a hand to help keep him afloat, you hold his head under instead? Nasty business.
The question becomes do you maintain your grip or come to your senses and see the forest for the trees? The forest is burning. But you might still be able to save a few trees. The enemy isn’t the one in the water with you. In fact, he’s the one who can help see through the smoke.
It’s a strained alliance. A riskier one now, perhaps. (Hell, you were just holding him under after all.) Trust your instincts.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Sacrifice
It’s time to acknowledge what each of us already knows. Anything of value usually costs money and involves personal sacrifice.
I have been fortunate to earn an exceptional living. Of course, it was borne of my parents’ sacrifices to provide the tools to enable that success. Likewise, despite my better-than-average salary, I live modestly; choosing to invest my resources toward the betterment of my children’s future. As a town, I believe we need to approach matters similarly.
Our current infrastructure is either lacking or deteriorating. That needs to become a priority of our tax dollars. Everyone agrees until the bill arrives and then no one wants to ante up because the benefit will likely be disproportionately enjoyed by those that come after us. Unfortunately, it’s the nature of the beast.
So the mindset that prevails is usually one where we look to higher branches of government to provide. That’s flawed…and an approach that simply isn’t going to work as available monies become scarcer for various reasons. We need to take care of ourselves and the best way to do that is through succeeding generations.
Again, it comes back to money. Where is it going to come from? From us, in the form of taxes. But we all know we can’t shoulder any bigger burden. That leaves one option. With resources finite, they must be reallocated. Everyone complains that taxes are too high but complains again when services are reduced. You simply can’t have it both ways despite the “smart growth” rhetoric that has raged for years. Good infrastructure breeds economic development, not the other way around.
It’s going to take time. There won’t be a lot, if any, immediate gratification. In short, it’s going to mean sacrifice. No one likes it but it’s necessary. If we’re methodical, we can build the base we need to thrive.
Since we agree the current tax burden is excessive, we need to begin with reducing it and prioritizing where our tax dollars are utilized. We could debate where best that is for eons but I’d suggest we start by cutting expenditures uniformly 20-30% across the board. Every service feels the pain equally. That alone forces us to do more with less to provide as much as we can and will serve as a means to eliminate the “waste and inefficiency” we’re always hearing about but have a hard time identifying. Just like you and me, the powers will have to ask themselves what they can do without when faced with having less money.
With a proper Comp Plan in place (priority one), we can begin to whittle away at some of what is needed. Some of that involves rectifying (and yes, paying for) problems created by past mistakes. It’s likely to be slow and ugly getting started but I believe it will be worthwhile in the end.
I have been fortunate to earn an exceptional living. Of course, it was borne of my parents’ sacrifices to provide the tools to enable that success. Likewise, despite my better-than-average salary, I live modestly; choosing to invest my resources toward the betterment of my children’s future. As a town, I believe we need to approach matters similarly.
Our current infrastructure is either lacking or deteriorating. That needs to become a priority of our tax dollars. Everyone agrees until the bill arrives and then no one wants to ante up because the benefit will likely be disproportionately enjoyed by those that come after us. Unfortunately, it’s the nature of the beast.
So the mindset that prevails is usually one where we look to higher branches of government to provide. That’s flawed…and an approach that simply isn’t going to work as available monies become scarcer for various reasons. We need to take care of ourselves and the best way to do that is through succeeding generations.
Again, it comes back to money. Where is it going to come from? From us, in the form of taxes. But we all know we can’t shoulder any bigger burden. That leaves one option. With resources finite, they must be reallocated. Everyone complains that taxes are too high but complains again when services are reduced. You simply can’t have it both ways despite the “smart growth” rhetoric that has raged for years. Good infrastructure breeds economic development, not the other way around.
It’s going to take time. There won’t be a lot, if any, immediate gratification. In short, it’s going to mean sacrifice. No one likes it but it’s necessary. If we’re methodical, we can build the base we need to thrive.
Since we agree the current tax burden is excessive, we need to begin with reducing it and prioritizing where our tax dollars are utilized. We could debate where best that is for eons but I’d suggest we start by cutting expenditures uniformly 20-30% across the board. Every service feels the pain equally. That alone forces us to do more with less to provide as much as we can and will serve as a means to eliminate the “waste and inefficiency” we’re always hearing about but have a hard time identifying. Just like you and me, the powers will have to ask themselves what they can do without when faced with having less money.
With a proper Comp Plan in place (priority one), we can begin to whittle away at some of what is needed. Some of that involves rectifying (and yes, paying for) problems created by past mistakes. It’s likely to be slow and ugly getting started but I believe it will be worthwhile in the end.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Distractions
Once again, the issue of a town board raise is front and center. This time in the guise of Community Committee formation to offer insights. WHAT? This is just plain crazy…and wholly unnecessary. Personally, I find it insulting.
The Town of Rotterdam has an unfortunate penchant for committee formation to address problems. While on the surface appearing as a genuine attempt to involve more citizens in the process of decision-making, it is a device more often used to diffuse criticism for the already predetermined decision. In this instance, the Town Board has made it abundantly clear it wants a raise and was sorely disappointed when it was denied recently. There is no need for a committee to study it and make recommendations. All aspects to this issue are more rightly considered during public budgetary hearings.
Let’s examine a few recent committee failures instituted by the Town. The most infamous was the Corridor Advisory Board (CAB) that was formed to make planning recommendations. Their recommendations turned out to be contentious, running counter to what the Town Board had decided independently to pursue. The Water Advisory Board (WAB), convened to systematically address several drainage issues in town, met similar resistance. Lastly, the Masullo Estates Advisory Committee was sanctioned to coordinate remediation in that subdivision but was only convened by the Town once.
The point is that forming committees to help address needs is terrific if their suggestions are ultimately factored in the solutions. However, more often than not, these committees are simply used as tools to give the appearance of progress being made when in fact, it isn’t.
I’m all for active citizen involvement but this proposed committee simply isn’t needed. The fact that so much time and energy is being devoted to the issue of raises is discouraging. It’s a distraction. It’s time to get back to the real problems plaguing our town and take real action to address them. Let’s get back to the business that matters.
The Town of Rotterdam has an unfortunate penchant for committee formation to address problems. While on the surface appearing as a genuine attempt to involve more citizens in the process of decision-making, it is a device more often used to diffuse criticism for the already predetermined decision. In this instance, the Town Board has made it abundantly clear it wants a raise and was sorely disappointed when it was denied recently. There is no need for a committee to study it and make recommendations. All aspects to this issue are more rightly considered during public budgetary hearings.
Let’s examine a few recent committee failures instituted by the Town. The most infamous was the Corridor Advisory Board (CAB) that was formed to make planning recommendations. Their recommendations turned out to be contentious, running counter to what the Town Board had decided independently to pursue. The Water Advisory Board (WAB), convened to systematically address several drainage issues in town, met similar resistance. Lastly, the Masullo Estates Advisory Committee was sanctioned to coordinate remediation in that subdivision but was only convened by the Town once.
The point is that forming committees to help address needs is terrific if their suggestions are ultimately factored in the solutions. However, more often than not, these committees are simply used as tools to give the appearance of progress being made when in fact, it isn’t.
I’m all for active citizen involvement but this proposed committee simply isn’t needed. The fact that so much time and energy is being devoted to the issue of raises is discouraging. It’s a distraction. It’s time to get back to the real problems plaguing our town and take real action to address them. Let’s get back to the business that matters.
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