Former mayor Weiner: Republicans are the town's salvation

I guess the continued unfair attacks on the Republicans are just part of the political season, but truth be told, the Republicans should be thanked for preserving any reasonable future for Vernon. The independents are totally uninformed when they complain about the town center. The town center is the only thing that has any chance of staving off massive tax increases in the future. The designation of the town center, and the projects required to maintain that important accomplishment, were the only things that prevented the State from making the commercial area of town subject to the restrictions of the Highlands Act. If that had happened, Vernon would be for all intents and purposes undevelopable. And don’t be fooled by the incomplete and misleading town center forensic audit. The auditor spoke to not one person involved in the planning of the town center and as a consequence came to some silly and uninformed conclusions. But here are the most important facts: Of the $13 million in costs, $5 million was spent on sewers, all of which is the responsibility of Mountain Creek, not the taxpayers. Crediting $2 million in grants and other revenue received, the road cost about $6 million. The Appalachian and Black Creek Sanctuary projects — that would not have been built without the town center effort — have already brought in tax revenues (and will continue to generate tax revenues) that offset all of that cost. The town owns 99,000 gallons of sewer allocation worth about $8 million on the open market. The sewerage will support tens of thousands of square feet of commercial ratables. The Republicans are the only candidates with the vision and courage to have declared their intention to finish the town center (very little cost is involved). This is the key to a stable tax base in the future. Once the economy recovers, Vernon will be poised to move forward immediately with clean commercial development that will provide tax relief. Their opponents are mired in the politics of the past, attacking that which they really don’t understand, worried about the process of government, rather than results. Let’s not spend the next several years reliving the past. Vote for the Republican candidates. They’re your only real hope for the future. Ira Weiner Former Mayor, Vernon