Fishbein's budget vote | Reynolds in 90th

A recent Letter to the Editor that ran in the Record-Journal.

Dear Editor:

I’ve been a Wallingford property owner since 2002. During that time I’ve seen my taxes escalate well beyond what my assessed value warrants. As a result, I pay particular attention to the annual budget debate. Regrettably this past year we witnessed a sad and revealing act by town councilor Craig Fishbein. After the mayor’s budget announcement, Fishbein said, “The tax increase proposed seems a little rich in this economy. I look forward to sharpening my pencil and reviewing this.” But, when presented with two budget options — one to use some of the prior year’s surplus to minimize any tax increase, (which Fishbein himself previously supported), or to raise taxes even more — Fishbein cast the deciding vote in favor of the higher tax plan. And if you think he did his best with that budget-cutting pencil — forget it. As his fellow Republican councilor, Tom Laffin, noted, “There were no meaningful suggestions for reductions from (Fishbein).”

How did he explain his support for higher taxes? The best he could invent was also outlined in the R-J: “... he said there is no difference between a small tax increase and a large one. ‘Not for me, no,’ Fishbein said.”
Now he’s attempting to fill the shoes of the late Mary Fritz as CT representative for Wallingford and Cheshire. Presumably he looks forward to sharpening a “state budget pencil” for that job. I suggest taxpayers should remember Fishbein’s stated opinion on taxes — small or large, one’s as good as the other. That’s why I’m among many taxpayers proudly supporting Patrick Reynolds for state representative.

Ray Palermo, Wallingford