To the editor:
Lately the emphasis has been on national politics when we should be thinking about local issues. We need a drastic change in direction and this won’t come if the citizens in the private sector who pay all the bills don’t get out and vote at the next election. We need to vote for candidates who have a proven track record on getting things done. The special interests have taken over and they are leading us down the garden path to destruction and disaster.
We desperately need change to get us back on track that would benefit all the citizens of our community and not just the favored few. There seems to be an attitude by the city manager and the powers in the majority that we can afford anything that comes down the pike. Also they haven’t considered the lack of financial stability of the state and federal government and the effect this will have on the availability of grants and revenue sharing funding to the communities. In Caribou this aid has done nothing to keep property taxes down but was used to embellish local programs that should be downgraded to a level of affordability.
Zero-based budgeting would have gone a long way to bring forward a clear understanding of affordability and transparency which is paramount to establish a sustainable and affordable and responsible city budget. Just ask anyone who is planning to move to northern Maine or anyone in Caribou who is trying to sell their house about their reason for not moving to or staying in Caribou — their answer is always that taxes are too high. There are even some city employees who don’t want to live within the boundaries of Caribou because of high taxes.
There are several candidates who would take that bold approach to bring some sanity back to the operations of our city. We have the good fortune to have two well qualified write-in candidates — Mark Goughan and Doug Morrell.
Goughan has been a stalwart city council member for years and would be willing to serve again as a write-in candidate. As a council member, Mark has given his all when it came to budget scrutiny and identifying practices that were a detriment to the community. Unfortunately it all fell on deaf ears and look where we are now — unaffordable taxes.
Morrell is a past city council member who also went beyond the call of duty and like Goughan sacrificed a lot of valuable time on budgets outside of the council chambers.
You citizens of Caribou have to realize that when I say that these councilors gave up a lot of their valuable time, the facts are that they both are in private business that give a lot of support to this community and there is a monetary loss that they assumed (unlike the others on the council). Please remember these names at the polls and if you write in their name don’t forget to check the box referencing their name.
There are two other candidates who are very much worth mentioning. One is Gary Aikens who moved to Caribou from Canada a few years ago when he was in a high management position for Cavendish Farms. He is now an American citizen who is very concerned about the future of his chosen town of residence. He has a great background in management, finance, and budget control and would be a great asset to our city council.
Another candidate is Phil McDonough who also served on the council in the past and is a candidate for the one-year position. Phil is an implant of the bygone days of LAFB and chose to stay and live in Caribou. Phil is also very knowledgeable of city finance and very concerned about the direction the city is going in.
If you are concerned about the direction the city is going relative to property taxes, please remember these name on voting day. Check them out and I’m sure they would welcome a call from any Caribou voter who wants to know where they stand.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very bloated government in Caribou and we must stop this downhill spiral that is driving us over the edge to the point of no return. Let’s get some representation that will work with us to bring about a more responsible and affordable Caribou city government.
Wilfred Martin
Caribou
