Opinion: 'Bethel Music Man Strikes a Sour Note Again'

Editor’s note: Bethel Patch will accept letters to the editor on behalf of political candidates through Wednesday, Oct. 28. Email your letter to wendy.mitchell@patch.com. 

A Letter to the Editor from Steve Brill:

For those who do not follow local Bethel politics, the BM from BM can always be counted on to strike an off key, sour note right around the silly season. Here he goes again!! In his latest missive, BM insinuates that Bethel is bloated with a bulging gaggle of new town employees, when the fact is during the 6 years of the Knickerbocker-Straiton administration, the total employee headcount shows no increase.

Additionally, instead of the increased pensions and lifetime health insurance BM’s past endorsed candidates foisted on Bethel taxpayers, our current administration has negotiated lowering pension costs in the future and modernized health insurance plans to control expenses heaped on us by past administrations supported by the BM movement.

The next misdirection is a claim of attack on the Town Meeting form of Government here in Bethel. In his explanation of the attack, his proof is an attempt by our current administration to EXPAND the number of citizen representatives on the board of selectmen to better represent the entire town and an increase of 2 years in the first selectman’s term, so that Bethel’s town leader can steadily and with understanding of the town’s challenges, guide Bethel instead of worrying every 2 years about getting re-elected or worse having a learn on the job new first selectmen every 2 years. Other charter revision proposals chastised were actually proposed with the help of a volunteer citizen panel and debated in public forums many times, only to be mostly cast aside due to the sour notes and misinformation spread by the naysayers.

Efficient town government was effectively defeated by those naysayers, and Bethel returned to the slow moving, ineffecient form of cost prohibitive government other states and municipalities have decided just doesn’t work.
Other BM’s in the attack on our current Selectman included criticism of our first selectman for his attempt to effectively handle the water department issues without costing the town and ratepayers extensive amounts of money, all with public input and guidance.

Again, the misinformation and hysterial crowd ruled the day, and Bethel taxpayers will eventually be asked to again pick up the extra expenses, and again the same sour note naysayers will lament about Bethel’s high taxes. Another of the BM’s mentioned, Old Town hall, is a great example of the ridiculous nonsense this group and it’s leaders wrought on Bethel. As noted in the letter, the voters overwhelmingly favored tearing down the eyesore , at an unnecessary additional cost of referendums and time due to the continual bell ringing of this backward looking group of malcontents.

If the candidates mentioned as favored by the letter writer were astute, they would disavow the endorsement (real reason for his attack letter) and tell Bethel how they will move Bethel into the future, not drag it back into the past. Good, steady leadership that moves Bethel forward demands a vote for Knickerbocker, Straiton and the entire Democratic team this November.

Steven Brill, Bethel