Board of Selectmen May 13, 2013 On Tuesday all the taxpayers have the option to vote on the Town and Board of Education operating budgets. What taxpayers will not vote for is $3million of Capital Expenditures. As a result of the approval of the Charter Revision, we the people have given up our rights to vote for these expenditures. The town meeting was eliminated and all expenditures that were approved at the town meeting, by taxpayer vote are now approved by the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance. These expenditures are below the 1% of the annual budget. Many of the expenditures in the Capital Improvement budget are politically motivated and should have been rejected by the taxpayers. $540,000 for another charette to study what we have studied for years and landowners are not required to comply with the findings, $204,000 for a Senior/Community Center Design when nobody is sure where the Senior Center should go or if it was needed at all, with a future appropriation of $8 million. The appropriate place for a Senior/Community Center should be at the Simsbury Library which meets the criteria of a central location with parking. We are asked to pay $275,500 for a DPW Truck Wash without knowing the future operating costs. All these expenditures were approved by a vote of the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance. All the money for these projects were taken from the town’s General Fund. These were off line expenditures. The Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance approved $ 3, 647,720 by majority vote without taxpayer approval. Our property values have been reduced, the town revenues have been greatly reduced and the future looks bleak. This is not a time to tax and spend. I urge everyone to vote NO on the budgets presented at the Referendum. As our rights are being eroded by changes in the Charter and many of the expenditures are politically motivated for reelection, we the people have to voice our disdain for these actions. Since the political parties refuse to propose professional government with a Town Manager, it is time for Simsbury residents to demand term limits on all elected officials. We can no longer have our elected officials propose politically motivated budgets with promises to select groups to divert taxpayer money to their individual interests at taxpayer expense for their votes. It is time that the taxpayers vote down the budget and demand a vote on all expenditures in the 2013/2014 budget cycle. Recently there was a gathering on town land where the rusty bicycle sculpture is placed to dedicate a plaque to everyone who donated money and time for this sculpture and landscaping. All the money raised was under the umbrella of the Children and Mobility Project. According to town staff the bicycle rests on town land without any site plans, permits, planning, zoning and design review boards approval. On May 6, the donor plaque was unveiled at the site with the names of all the donors. The plaque names Tom Roy, Director of Public Works, and Rich Sawitzke, Town Engineer as members of the committee; other town employees also gave their time, including First Selectman Mary Glassman. I would like to know how much of their time was spent on this activity and did the bicycle group pay for in kind services from these town employees? The Simsbury taxpayers should not support private non-profit groups. The plaque names the $100 Bronze donors which included most members of the Board of Selectmen : Jacqui & Sean Askham, Mary and Andy Glassman, Nancy & Craig Haase, Lisa Heavner, John Hampton, and Moira & Michael Wertheimer. All these members of the Board of Selectmen were aware that the bicycle group was not compliant with any of the town’s planning and zoning regulations and each member donated $100 towards this project. First Selectman Mary Glassman and others were at the dedication of the plaque that was unveiled at the Rusty Bike ceremony. Prior to the ceremony the plaque was draped with a town hall carpet from the entrance to Town Hall. Who gave this groups permission to take the carpet for the ceremony? If anyone in town tried to thwart the rules and regulations of the town they would not have been given a free pass as did Steve Mitchell and his bicycle group. How much of the money collected was given to the Children & Adult Mobility Project? In Simsbury rules are meant for others not politically connected groups. This appears to be an abuse of power. The Simsbury Farms Golf course continually loses money year after year. The golf fees have not been increased this year although the overhead costs have escalated. Recently there was an advertisement in the Hartford Courant for a Spring Special with reduced costs and the availability of discount cards. Who approved these reduced fees and discounts? I have continually shown that the garbage containers at Simsbury Farms are full the bottles and cans of beer that were consumed at the Paddle Courts. Alcohol consumption at town parks is allowed leaving many of the unused refuse to recycle for cash. I would like to know if the town has an accounting of the money collected from the recycled cans and bottles. I was shocked when I heard that both the Performing Arts Council and the Board of Selectmen approved the Flaming Lips concert in Simsbury. The Flaming Lips Concert promotes sex, drugs and nudity. Did anyone review the concerts on You Tube before approving this group. Bob Hensley, Chairman of the PAC stated in the Hartford Courant “ We wanted to see some more activity down here. This gives us four concerts, which at this point is a really appropriate number,” Appropriate number but not an appropriate concert. Hensley should be removed as Chairman of the Pac since his values are inconsistent with Simsbury’s values. The Board of Selectman approved this concert at 7:45 in the morning without reviewing the Flaming Lips Concerts on You Tube. This board should set the values and standards for our community and be selective in the concert approval process. It appears that the Board of Selectmen and the Performing Arts Council care more about collecting money from concerts than setting standards with family values. Shame on both Boards. What was this board thinking? Thanks to Simsbury’s Chief of Police, Peter Ingvertsen the concert was cancelled. I have reviewed the teacher’s of Latimer Lane comments on the administration of the school as a result of my FOI request for the Annual Report. Report cards should be reviewed and updated to reflect curriculum, grading questions, students pulled out of class for specials. Computers are old and ineffective, not enough memory in the computers, school should look into solar panels, concern on controlling bullying, class size too large, too much time allocated to mandated programs, negative effects of reducing classes from 4 to 3, too much time with assessments, recess should be before lunch, more challenging reading and writing programs, concern about kindergarten curriculum, teachers need the opportunity to share information throughout the school system, more time to share ideas, more time for professional development, need social studies curriculum developed for 5th grade., gymn floor needs to be evaluated for safety, teachers changing grades need more support, need library media specialist in each school, more professional development in a timely manner, building not handicapped accessible. These are just some of the concerns that should be reviewed and develop curriculum that satisfies the teacher’s needs and the students needs. I hope that the new administration will correct these significant issues.
