I have been accused of a lot in this campaign. Despite the falsity of the accusations, I have generally not responded, trusting that Mequon voters have the good sense to see through the tactics. It is sad that each election becomes more outrageous than the last.
I will briefly address one recent accusation – I supposedly am a big spender. That’s odd, because they are also accusing me of not spending enough (without saying what they would cut).
I am not the candidate proposing millions and millions of dollars of new spending without a plan for paying for it. My opponent says he will pay for it from new development but, no matter what kind of development occurs, it takes years and costs go up in the meantime.
Don’t just read what the candidates write. Judge for yourself by watching or listening to the candidates side-by-side at this week’s forum. You can see it by clicking here (the substance starts just after the 10 minute mark).
In 12 of the 15 years I have been an alderman, the tax rate passed by the Council has either stayed the same or gone down. I proposed, wrote and saw passage of a tax levy freeze that limited our taxes long before the state imposed limits.
Here is a chart that shows what city tax rates have done over the 18 years since I was first elected:
The blue line is the actual rate. The reddish-orange line adjusts the rate based on two reassessments. The other two lines show the effect of inflation from two separate sources. No matter how you slice it, our rate has gone down during that period. What other community has done better?
Yes, in three of the 18 years, we had modest tax increases. This past year is a good example. Both my opponent and I voted for the increase, yet he criticized me for it in a flyer. You likely did not notice the increase. But it helped improve our police and fire departments, started a process to improve our inspections department, provided money for a park plan and paid for some additional maintenance. My opponent acted responsibly in voting for those measures (it is okay to agree with an opponent). So was I.
I am the candidate with the proven record of financial responsibility.
Together, we can keep taxes low and have excellent police, fire and ambulance departments, maintain roads, improve the city’s other services and facilities, create more of a sense of community and plan for Mequon’s future.
If you think the community is generally a great place, I ask for your vote.