William Larsen

The Mayoral Debate

I watched the debate this evening and heard some disturbing responses. Tom Henry stated it was the job of the Mayor to protect all citizens/residents and that he was to uphold the law. When it came to illegal immigration he said he would help those breaking our laws by helping them gain legal status. This does not sit well with me. We are a country of laws and you simply cannot look the other way. My grandparents were immigrants and entered the country legally. Both candidates identified the large cost to our community in terms of public education and the difficulty teachers have in educating them.

Henry is for more taxes. He says we need a broader based tax such as sales, hotel, dining and other types of sales taxes. This will help reduce property taxes. After speaking with several people about sales taxes, they have the impression that these new taxes would not apply to essentials. How much of your budget goes to essentials, groceries, electricity, gas, etc and how much to non-essentials? Henry says a ¼% increases in local income taxes would reduce property taxes by 7%. I for one would like to see this analysis. For every dollar we bring home, we pay mortgage, utilities, groceries, etc. What do we have left that we spend on non-essentials? What I am trying to say is if there is only 10 cents on the dollar we spend on non essentials (fun) what type of sales tax rate is needed to replace the cut in property taxes?

I thought Mat Kealty did a good job. He certainly had enthusiasm. Tom Henry seemed to be tired and sluggish. They are totally different in their ideas.

posted by William Larsen @ 11:42 PM