Alderman Parker's Statement on Tomorrow's Override
Monday, May 19, 2008 at 09:32PM I'm writing to share some of my thoughts on tomorrow's override and to let my friends and supporters know why, despite my concerns regarding City management issues, I plan to vote yes.
Many of my friends and supporters are skeptical about whether a yes vote will lead to the change we need at Newton City Hall. I have concluded that it is in the best interest of the long-term fiscal health of the City and the quality of life for Newton residents for the override to pass.
The override presents us with two difficult options: vote yes and face higher taxes or vote no and face cuts in services. I believe the reality is that if we do not pass the override, the mayor will make significant cuts to services that will negatively impact the quality of life in Newton. Can the Board of Aldermen stop these cuts? Perhaps a few, but most will not be preventable. These cuts include significant reductions in maintenance that will likely result in our needing to spend millions of dollars in renovation and replacement down the road not to mention higher energy costs for heating and cooling our buildings.
Despite the best efforts of a number of Aldermen in recent years to improve management practices at Newton City Hall (and we have had some successes), it is unrealistic to think that there are quick fixes that will solve our current deficit without significant cuts in services.
I completely understand the frustration and hesitation on the part of many to support this override and frankly I don¹t blame them one bit. It¹s a personal choice that everyone has to make. For me personally, the reality of cuts in services outweigh my frustration with the current administration and for that reason I plan to vote yes on the override.
After Tuesday's vote, we will need to come together as a community to pursue new ideas to make our government work better. I hope that regardless of whether the override passes, we will all be open-minded about ideas to make our government more efficient and effective at addressing the needs of Newton residents. That means making use of the best ideas of override supporters and opponents alike.
Alderman Ken Parker