Bipartisan group ready for Groton charter vote on Tuesday

With Tuesday's referendum on the new Groton charter only a day away, the bipartisan group opposing the changes (find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/votenogrotoncharter) is offering a few things to consider:

Budget Referendum
If the charter changes are approved, Groton would be the largest town in Connecticut with an annual budget referendum. We have 40,000+ residents. Comparing us to Old Saybrook (10,200), East Lyme (19,000) and Stonington (18,600) is apples vs. oranges. Annual referendums are for small towns.

Board of Finance
Each town district would elect a member to the Board of Finance. But the Board would have no power. There also are no qualifications for candidates. And yet this group is expected to provide long-term financial forecasts and be a financial watchdog. Groton is a large and complicated town. We should rely on town staff -- the manager and finance director -- to provide professional advice, not an elected Board that could be dominated by inexperienced people.

Lower taxes
The Town of Groton already has one of the lowest mill rates in Connecticut on an equalized basis. (Equalized mill rates compensate for variances in property values and timing of revaluations when making town-to-town comparisons.) The proponents promise lower taxes, better schools and more services. It's not possible.

Instead of focusing on cutting spending, we should be looking at growing Groton and increasing our tax base. The new charter works against that by consolidating power in the Town Council, opening the door to budget cuts for basic services, creating a cumbersome budget process and potentially driving away businesses and individuals who don’t want to be in a Town that is so heavily focused on the bottom line.

Schools and Public Services
The new charter creates a government structure for the Town. It is not a vehicle for improving efficiency across municipalities. The proposed annual budget referendum could, in fact, reduce school spending and public services because turnout for these votes is historically very low in nearby towns (as low as 7%). We can’t let a small minority of voters determine the direction of our Town.

Government Accountability
The new charter reduces accountability by consolidating authority with the Town Council, eliminating the Representative Town Meeting (currently the major check/balance to the Council), creating a toothless Board of Finance and extending the terms of councilors to four years.

Groton may be the only town in Connecticut with an RTM and Town Council, but that is because other towns call their chief elected body a Board of Selectmen. Greenwich, with a population of almost 63,000, for example, has an RTM and a Board of Selectmen.

If people don't know who their RTM members are, the solution isn't necessarily to get rid of the RTM. It's for candidates to do a better job of getting out, and for voters to be more active in local government. The new charter makes that harder by reducing opportunities to get involved.

A big mistake

In a debate earlier this fall, a member of the “Vote Yes” coalition seemed to concede that there were some troubling issues with the proposed revisions. His reaction: You have to start somewhere; it’s an experiment; we can make changes later. Charters -- like the U.S. constitution -- can’t be changed easily or quickly.

Let’s get it right before doing something we are likely to soon regret. If you live in Groton this may well be the single most important local vote you ever cast.

Whatever problems Groton has, this new charter is not the answer. Vote NO on Question 3 on Tuesday, Nov. 6!