Letter: Vote for Al Searles for Kennebunk selectman (Printed Jan. 18, 2008)
Editor:
We are faced with a mid-term election to replace Ms. Huston as selectman. I would like to thank her for her service to our community over the previous years. While I didn’t always agree with her on the issues I know she worked for what she felt was best for our community.
I ask you for the opportunity to finish out her term. Kennebunk is faced with many tough choices in the years ahead relating to funding the services we as citizens have become accustomed to. The possible expansion of our TIFF districts and the expenditure of those funds on the appropriate improvements. A final solution for the Park Street School property. The forced consolidation of school districts that will impact our property taxes by the millions in the next few years. How do we meet these challenges and keep taxes from escalating at an ever increasing pace?
There will be no easy answers for us, only the tough choices which I feel are best faced head on. I am confident that together we can make these tough choices without cutting essential services off at the knees, that path is unacceptable to me. The capital expenditures fund created by our budget board must be grown without relying on taxes to bear the brunt. Our list of departments must be studied for possible consolidation, realignment or even elimination if that proves prudent. A possible means to end the forever tax increase we give ourselves when we exceed the LD1 limits. These are some of the things I intend to work towards.
Through the past five to six years I have attended well over 95 percent of our selectmen’s meetings. As a budget board member I have been through four budget cycles. I have worked diligently to limit the articles that have gone to the voters as over the LD1 cap items. I believe in the municipal budget going to referendum vote and played a major role in getting our charter commission established so that choice can go to all our voters in the fall elections. I serve on this commission as well.
I am not part of the old guard yet I posses extensive background information from forever being in attendance. We need fresh ideas. New ways of looking at the issues that affect our way of life as well as our checkbooks. It was not so long ago that my wife and I provided for six children on $18,000 to $20,000 a year. We made tough choices every month and that teaches you fiscally conservative practices. We always had what we needed, and once in awhile what we wanted too. Please consider voting for me for selectman Feb. 21.
Albert (Al) Searles
Budget Board
Charter Commission
We are faced with a mid-term election to replace Ms. Huston as selectman. I would like to thank her for her service to our community over the previous years. While I didn’t always agree with her on the issues I know she worked for what she felt was best for our community.
I ask you for the opportunity to finish out her term. Kennebunk is faced with many tough choices in the years ahead relating to funding the services we as citizens have become accustomed to. The possible expansion of our TIFF districts and the expenditure of those funds on the appropriate improvements. A final solution for the Park Street School property. The forced consolidation of school districts that will impact our property taxes by the millions in the next few years. How do we meet these challenges and keep taxes from escalating at an ever increasing pace?
There will be no easy answers for us, only the tough choices which I feel are best faced head on. I am confident that together we can make these tough choices without cutting essential services off at the knees, that path is unacceptable to me. The capital expenditures fund created by our budget board must be grown without relying on taxes to bear the brunt. Our list of departments must be studied for possible consolidation, realignment or even elimination if that proves prudent. A possible means to end the forever tax increase we give ourselves when we exceed the LD1 limits. These are some of the things I intend to work towards.
Through the past five to six years I have attended well over 95 percent of our selectmen’s meetings. As a budget board member I have been through four budget cycles. I have worked diligently to limit the articles that have gone to the voters as over the LD1 cap items. I believe in the municipal budget going to referendum vote and played a major role in getting our charter commission established so that choice can go to all our voters in the fall elections. I serve on this commission as well.
I am not part of the old guard yet I posses extensive background information from forever being in attendance. We need fresh ideas. New ways of looking at the issues that affect our way of life as well as our checkbooks. It was not so long ago that my wife and I provided for six children on $18,000 to $20,000 a year. We made tough choices every month and that teaches you fiscally conservative practices. We always had what we needed, and once in awhile what we wanted too. Please consider voting for me for selectman Feb. 21.
Albert (Al) Searles
Budget Board
Charter Commission
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