Common Sense Solutons

The public deserves answers, not rhetoric. Give the unvarnished truth to the voters. They know what is best for the town and themselves. You don't have to sell it to them, they'll know what is right if they are given all the information.

Common Sense Solutions for Dartmouth's Fiscal Crisis

I believe that we cannot tax our way to fiscal health. If expenses are growing faster than revenue, raising taxes is a temporary solution. The rate of growth of expenditures must be reduced for the town to thrive in the long term.

Spend on necessities first
• Prioritize spending- highest to lowest
(police 1st, etc. Cut from lowest, add to highest when funds become available.)

Analyze future costs of present actions
• Eliminate personal contracts
(Assign to a non union pay scale with the pay rates to the town's advantage, raises to be merit based only and subject to available funds)
• Every new expenditure must be examined for long term affordability
(Hiring new employees, purchasing new equipment)
• The long term sustainability of present operations must be analyzed.
(If we cannot pay for them, we need to look at ways to change. Privatize, automate, contract out)

Find creative ways to reinvent government
• Cut management costs
(It seems that all cuts fall on those employees who actually provide the services. We need to look at upper and mid management first)
• Our residents are a great resource
(Townspeople have a wide variety of knowledge and skills, embrace their participation and expertise, follow up on their ideas)
• Copy what works, change what doesn't
(Many towns have been in this situation, find out what they did)
• Information technology has transformed our world. Use it to transform the operations of our town
(Online payments, direct deposits, useful & effective town website)

Communicate and cooperate
• Budget for the town must consider all departments
(School v general gov't has to end, budget summit with all involved, consensus solutions)
• Tell the taxpayers everything, hear them out
(no sweetheart contracts, no golden handshakes, no behind the scenes maneuvering, let the public speak to Board)

My position on split tax rate
I support the split tax rate. I would vote to retain it at the current 40% and would raise it if residential valuations continue to rise faster than commercial values. The split rate has corrected an inequity that has been growing over the past 10 years. I would not lower it below 40% in my 3 year term.