I’m adding my voice - as a citizen, taxpayer and (unofficially) as Chairman of the Board of Finance, where I’ve served the Town of Easton for the last 25 years - to the discussion of whether EMS should have a new headquarters and whether the proposal being voted on this Tuesday is the right proposal.
The answer is a no-brainer, and it is unequivocally YES.
The project to identify options, including location, scope, need, and funding sources has been ongoing for the last two years that I have been Chairman of the BOF. The review of this project by the BOF has been constant, and relentless and my fellow members of the BOF oversaw a considerable scaling down of the cost of this project (as we did with the SSES project many years ago) - with the result that this project had been vetted and subjected to the kind of ‘practical frugality’ that projects in Easton always receive. This is a good building at a fair cost and the taxpayers of Easton will be getting good value for the money we are spending.
Importantly, the folks at EMS are putting their money where their mouths are (unlike the critics of this project) to the tune of over $800,000 of funds raised from decades of fundraising - money that won’t be required to be paid by the taxpayers of Easton for this project.
As for the many posts and mailers made by members of ‘Citizens for Responsible Government' opposing this project, all I can say is this -
At no time over the last two years of hearings and design and planning review did any member of CRG (who are apparently anonymous, though the folks behind it are well known in town) speak up about this project, or offer constructive criticism, or contribute to making this project a reality. Instead, as is unfortunately typical of this group, they dive-bomb the process at the 11th hour with a lot of unsubstantiated arguments, intentionally create confusion and controversy based more in their bias against EMS and their steadfast refusal to back anything in this town that conflicts with their narrow and misguided perspective.
My job as a member of the Board of Finance (and as a lawyer, dad, rational person, etc.) is to separate ‘the wheat from the chaff’ when it comes to evaluating a proposal such as funding the new EMS headquarters. While I will listen, and try my best to respect alternate viewpoints, the people of Easton should understand one thing very clearly - the argument manufactured by CRG and its allies (not numerically significant but with lots of time to dominate chat rooms with a lot of ‘I support EMS but want a leaner better project’) are the chaff - I’m frankly shocked by how superficial their arguments are and - given their complete lack of participation on a process that’s gone on for the last two years - seriously disingenuous.
To be frank, many of the individuals posting in support of a ‘no’ vote would be happy to have EMS disband after generations of service to our town, or merge with the Fire Department, or get outsourced to some private, for-profit entity. They view a ‘no’ vote as the first nail in the EMS coffin, and the delay and additional costs to the town of a ‘revisited’ EMS project is simply death by delay. That, in my personal view, motivates certain members of the CRG opposition, and it’s really behind a lot of the ridiculous anti-EMS posts I’ve seen over the last few days.
This is an easy decision for taxpayers, for people who believe in the good work of generations of our fellow Eastonites, and for our future.
Vote ‘YES’ on Tuesday - for EMS, for our town’s tradition of frugal spending, for our community’s commitment to the wonderful ethic of volunteerism. With your YES vote you’ll show the voices that seek to denigrate and demean the hard work of those in our community who strive to contribute and make this town even better that they really are a small and frustrated and negative little group whose presence online dwarfs their actual influence.
Go out on Tuesday and vote, with absolute confidence, YES! in support of the EMS project,
Thanks.
Art
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