To the editor,
An allegation has been made that taxes have increased substantially in Naugatuck in the last 12 years since Tamath Rossi has served as burgess and deputy mayor, which is correct. The half-truth comes when these increases are blamed on Tamath.
The truth is that during Tamath’s term in office Naugatuck has taken many steps to help mitigate these increases. Since her election 12 years ago Naugatuck has installed a Human Recourse Office, which has taken the hiring process out of the hands of politicians and put it on a much fairer basis. This office has also decreased the number of unfair labor claims against our town. In addition, the negotiation of union contracts has been removed from the Mayor’s Office and put into the hands of a professional negotiation team. The switching of new hires from a traditional pension plan to an employee contribution plan will save our taxpayers large amounts in the future.
In addition our trash collection has been modernized and finally privatized at substantial savings and the street and parks departments have been combined allowing for a decrease in the number of employees, largely through attrition.
Tamath chaired the “Strategic Planning for Naugatuck Committee,” which made many hard choices with an eye to the future of our community, many of which were unpopular. Among other things, to help keep taxes in line, we eliminated the town run Visiting Nurses Association as well as the town’s involvement in Youth Services.
Over the last 12 years Tamath has worked tirelessly for the betterment of our community. One small example of this commitment is that during my eight years on the Board of Finance she rarely ever missed a meeting or hearing despite the fact this was not required by her position. Her input and experience was always helpful. Her dedication to our seniors as well as the youth of our town is well documented. She has devoted endless hours to the development of our downtown with an eye towards increasing the tax base. The list goes on but I’m limited to the amount of space available.
Don Carten
Naugatuck
