Our election picks
Some of you have known many of the candidates for many years. Some of you may have known candidates for all of their lives. Some of you probably have made up your minds about who you will vote for. I find no fault with that.
There is an old saw in politics that people often pull the lever of the name they know, sometimes without having much knowledge of any of the candidates. They vote based on name recognition.
We hope you have more than name recognition to base a vote on. We invite you to read the questionnaire in today’s paper to help. If you want more information, I’ll offer my opinion.
I have to start with the present board candidates. I have to ask if they are doing a good job. If they are, I have a hard time justifying making a change.
Eddie Haddock has served on the town board for nearly twenty years. About the only thing negative that ever comes up about Eddie is his family’s company does contract work for the town.
Recently more allegations were made against Eddie, not surprisingly by another candidate for the board. In our cynical world, we find it easy to believe if a town board member has connection with a company doing business with the town, there must by some wrongdoing there.
Well, I can assure you that Eddie is not in league with the rest of the town board members to profit from contracts with the town. It soils everyone in town to make those allegations, that such dealings would be tolerated by the town staff and the rest of the town board members, if they were improper.
The town has taken measures to reasssure there is no impropriety.
I have asked many and can find no justification for the accusations, other than the lingering cynicism.
We are fortunate to have a firm like Haddock Enterprises willing to do small jobs around Princeton, because many larger firms are just not interested in doing the work, at any price.
Eddie is truly concerned about people. He has served as Rescue Squad Captain for many years as an indicate of his dedication to public service. He also tries to respond to complaints when citizens voice them. He has been a valuable resource to the board with his knowledge of the town’s water and sewer system.
I know there are many times when he has served the town without any compensation.
Walter Martin has been a strong representative for the town. He not only brings common sense to decisions before the board, but does his homework to research issues so he can intelligently discuss them. He has opinions and states them, more importantly with reasons why.
Walter sometimes takes unpopular stands on issues, and as a politician I sometimes wish he would pick his fights more, but he consistently votes his convictions without alienating the rest of the board with his opinions.
I have been surprised at how well he has been received as a black man in what is sometimes correctly characterized as a community with some racist attitudes on both sides of the color line.
Like Eddie, I believe the town has benefited from Walter’s experience with the Smithfield Police Department.
I believe the present town board is doing a good job, and has moved the town ahead greatly in recent years. I see no compelling reason to change.
Voters will decide on two issues on the ballot regarding county taxes. I favor approving both.
Both the land transfer tax and potential sales tax hike would be alternatives to property tax increases for the county, and I believe both generally are better than a higher property tax.
While the real estate industry lobbies heavily against any tax on their industry, fearing it will hit their pocketbook, their arguments don’t hold water for me. I don’t believe an extra thousand or two thousand dollars on a 20 year or 30 year mortgage will add more than a few dollars a month over the life of the loan, and it will help to pass along the costs of schools particularly to those families moving into our county creating a deficit. It takes a number of years for a new homeowner to catch up on paying the costs for schools and others services without the land transfer tax. In the meantime, you and I and other property owners are picking up their tab. If they are long-term residents of the county, even those paying a land transfer tax will benefit in the long run.
A land transfer tax helps put the costs of growth more on the shoulders of those creating the costs. That seems more fair to me.
Those are my thoughts and choices. The ones that count are the ones you and I make at the polls next Tuesday. Make your opinions count.
There is an old saw in politics that people often pull the lever of the name they know, sometimes without having much knowledge of any of the candidates. They vote based on name recognition.
We hope you have more than name recognition to base a vote on. We invite you to read the questionnaire in today’s paper to help. If you want more information, I’ll offer my opinion.
I have to start with the present board candidates. I have to ask if they are doing a good job. If they are, I have a hard time justifying making a change.
Eddie Haddock has served on the town board for nearly twenty years. About the only thing negative that ever comes up about Eddie is his family’s company does contract work for the town.
Recently more allegations were made against Eddie, not surprisingly by another candidate for the board. In our cynical world, we find it easy to believe if a town board member has connection with a company doing business with the town, there must by some wrongdoing there.
Well, I can assure you that Eddie is not in league with the rest of the town board members to profit from contracts with the town. It soils everyone in town to make those allegations, that such dealings would be tolerated by the town staff and the rest of the town board members, if they were improper.
The town has taken measures to reasssure there is no impropriety.
I have asked many and can find no justification for the accusations, other than the lingering cynicism.
We are fortunate to have a firm like Haddock Enterprises willing to do small jobs around Princeton, because many larger firms are just not interested in doing the work, at any price.
Eddie is truly concerned about people. He has served as Rescue Squad Captain for many years as an indicate of his dedication to public service. He also tries to respond to complaints when citizens voice them. He has been a valuable resource to the board with his knowledge of the town’s water and sewer system.
I know there are many times when he has served the town without any compensation.
Walter Martin has been a strong representative for the town. He not only brings common sense to decisions before the board, but does his homework to research issues so he can intelligently discuss them. He has opinions and states them, more importantly with reasons why.
Walter sometimes takes unpopular stands on issues, and as a politician I sometimes wish he would pick his fights more, but he consistently votes his convictions without alienating the rest of the board with his opinions.
I have been surprised at how well he has been received as a black man in what is sometimes correctly characterized as a community with some racist attitudes on both sides of the color line.
Like Eddie, I believe the town has benefited from Walter’s experience with the Smithfield Police Department.
I believe the present town board is doing a good job, and has moved the town ahead greatly in recent years. I see no compelling reason to change.
Voters will decide on two issues on the ballot regarding county taxes. I favor approving both.
Both the land transfer tax and potential sales tax hike would be alternatives to property tax increases for the county, and I believe both generally are better than a higher property tax.
While the real estate industry lobbies heavily against any tax on their industry, fearing it will hit their pocketbook, their arguments don’t hold water for me. I don’t believe an extra thousand or two thousand dollars on a 20 year or 30 year mortgage will add more than a few dollars a month over the life of the loan, and it will help to pass along the costs of schools particularly to those families moving into our county creating a deficit. It takes a number of years for a new homeowner to catch up on paying the costs for schools and others services without the land transfer tax. In the meantime, you and I and other property owners are picking up their tab. If they are long-term residents of the county, even those paying a land transfer tax will benefit in the long run.
A land transfer tax helps put the costs of growth more on the shoulders of those creating the costs. That seems more fair to me.
Those are my thoughts and choices. The ones that count are the ones you and I make at the polls next Tuesday. Make your opinions count.
posted by Barry | 9:02 AM
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