Myth Busting: The Sequel

The Republican candidates have joined the “Better Choice” group in spreading what can most politely be called myths. Let’s look at some truths:

Myth: Town officials have the power to give themselves raises or give individuals breaks on their taxes.

We have busted the myth about the raises before; it’s just not true. Neither the First Selectwoman nor any other paid official could vote themselves a raise. The Board of Finance recommends a budget to the town and then we, the town electors, vote on it at a Town Meeting.

This myth seems to be part of a pattern of misunderstanding about how our town government works. The Tax Collector’s job, for example, is to apply the laws of the state of Connecticut and of the town. The Tax Collector does not set tax rates and does not have the discretion to excuse people from paying taxes. Would we even want to give any individual the power to decide by himself how much in taxes the rest of us will pay? 

Myth: Cathy Iino “emphasizes the status quo.”

Mr. Romero himself busts this myth by accusing Cathy of trying to bring about all sorts of changes that he doesn’t agree with. The fact is, Cathy has listened to the community, brought forth the concerns of our citizens, and worked with groups in our town to research the issues and present the facts. It seems as though Mr. Romero and Mr. Hollander are the ones who oppose change.  

Myth: Cathy Iino ignored the school budget process.  

Cathy has worked with the RSD 17 Superintendent and the Board of Education throughout the year to find ways to control costs. She has been a particularly outspoken advocate for the interests of Killingworth—for example, seeking to keep the GED program in our own library, or fighting the transfer of our tax dollars to Haddam through the large property tax the school bus company now pays to Haddam. She has helped RSD 17 get assistance from the Yale School of Management and from FEMA. She has also asked the Energy Task Force to work with RSD 17 to adopt solar technologies that would result in significant cost savings. A public meeting missed because of a scheduling conflict is hardly indicative of her level of engagement.

More to the point, Cathy understands that the budget doesn’t exist in a vacuum. How can we make responsible decisions about the budget without discussing what we want from our educational system? How can we maintain excellent schools, as Mr. Romero acknowledges we must, if we do not understand what education is for? It was Cathy who initiated the Community Conversation About Education to address just that issue. 

Myth: We could lower our taxes by building senior housing in town.  

There are good reasons to create senior housing here in town; in fact, our Housing Partnership and our First Selectwoman have been pursuing possibilities for several years. Our Planning & Zoning Commission is looking at revising regulations to expand the possibilities for such units. But this is not a way to build up our tax base, especially in the near term. Developers are not exactly beating down the doors to build new units, and we all know that the housing market is unlikely to rebound anytime soon. 

Myth: We could lower our taxes by building a hockey rink.

West Haven has a hockey rink; they are currently trying to privatize it, because it costs the town about $250,000 a year to operate. Furthermore, there are at least four hockey rinks about half an hour from Killingworth. That means that we would be drawing customers from a fifteen-minute radius. Would that be enough to support a hockey rink? 

Myth: The “Better Choice” wants to save you money. 

Don’t believe it. If they are so interested in saving money, why did they put the town through the expense of a primary election when they were planning to run in the general election anyway? Jerry Lucas, the self-proclaimed head of the group, even tried to get the one candidate who won in the primaries removed from the slot he had won and placed back onto the unaffiliated line. The primaries appear to have been nothing more than a publicity stunt, and we all had to pay for it.

Myth:  Leading Killingworth’s government takes no experience and little knowledge of the town.

Killingworth has a long and rich history, with many dedicated citizens who have been active participants in our town for years. If we ignore the past, such as the work of previous economic development commissions or the ongoing explorations of how to utilize wind power in the town, we waste a tremendous resource. 

Our current administration has built a record of competence, commitment, and collaboration that will serve Killingworth well as we continue to deal with these challenging times. 

If you want to vote for real change and put Killingworth on a path to an even brighter future, vote for Cathy Iino, Lou Annino, Jr., and the rest of the Democratic team on November 8th.