Letter: Vote in the referendum

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To the editor,

As I always do everyday at breakfast I read my morning paper but this Sunday morning, July 20, 2014, the article on Naugatuck, “Budget backers to stay home,” really disturbed me as a citizen of Naugatuck and of the USA.

Our Tax Collector Jim Goggin is staying home or staying in at work or going out to lunch in order to not vote on referendum voting day, July 29, 2014. Also, Ms. Diane Scinto, finance board chairwoman, is not going to vote because she doesn’t believe in the referendum process.

Mr. Goggin read my lips, as a citizen of this great USA I am going to vote (as I regularly do on any election voting day) and especially when you’re running for an elected office again and specifically not voting for you at all. I wouldn’t stay home for anything.

As for Ms. Scinto, your beliefs bother me and that you should go and live in Russia and be on President Putin’s staff, please resign.

Yes, you both have the right of freedom of speech and freedom of expression in our wonderful USA, but in my opinion you both don’t have any commonsense and common principles of reasoning.

First of all elected city officials, the Board of Education, all appointed commission members and city department administrators/managers are not living within the borough’s means.

A total of $675,000 has been given to 27 teachers for bonus to retire early. These teachers with their retirement contract anyway would be receiving around $50,000 to $100,000 a year with benefits. They didn’t need additional/extra money of ours to retire. The unionized VNA was shut down and eliminated from the city organization structure, but the city union administrators/managers got their raises and benefits. How come their positions weren’t eliminated and turned into management positions? It can be done by restructuring the management and operations of the city. The golf course has been losing money for decades, contact city comptroller for proof, but it’s still in the budget. Parcel C has been proposed to be sold for $150,000 but appraised at $231,400, and “So the sale price is important, but it’s not the most important thing” NEDC CEO says. Losing on or about $81,400 is not important? It’s not his money it’s ours.

The school budget is $61.3 million and school enrollment is down. The senior citizens cannot continue to pay for kids they don’t have in school. It’s ridiculous.

An architectural landmark, the train station building, is being sold. So ridiculous.
Vacant school buildings will need to be renovated before opening and where is the money going to come from, us the taxpayers.

Will the real conscientious men and women of the Borough of Naugatuck go and vote on July 29, 2014 at the architectural gem of a building, the train station, please. Or you will be seeing a future 50 mill rate after the 45.06 mill rate goes thru this year if you don’t. Get out and vote on July 29, 2014.

Emidio C. Cerasale

Naugatuck