Vernon tax hike no surprise

Four years of the Marotta administration grew our government more than 20 percent, an increase that is unsustainable. Increased salaries, increased numbers of employees, increased spending, and increased debt was the recipe for disaster that Mayor Shortway has now inherited.
Everyone should have realized that Marotta “hit the wall” when, even after emptying the trust funds and increasing our debt, he could not deliver a flat tax in the year of his re-election bid. The prior three years of small tax decreases, which were only made possible by a shell game, were nothing short of his crafty solicitation to the taxpayers for re-election. Thankfully, it didn’t work. But unfortunately, just as Marotta left Vernon back in the 1980’s, Vernon taxpayers are the victims once again.
In 2010, we changed our form of government to an elected mayor, hoping for a chance to improve how Vernon is managed. That opportunity was not realized with the mismanagement and greed that had become the hallmark of the Marotta administration.
The detrimental effects of four years of increased spending and debt cannot be reversed overnight. Mayor Shortway’s first budget has very little to do with his intentions and more to do with the actions of the prior administration. As our new mayor fights his way through these challenges and tries to restore financial soundness for our future, he deserves support.
Sally Rinker
President
Vernon Taxpayers Association