Clarifications of the West Haven Taypayer Initiative

The West Haven Taxpayer Initiative (WHTI) , which organized the Taxpayer's Rally has been surprisingly silent over the past week.

However, according to an August 2nd West Haven Voice article entitled "Apology sent to Picard", Robert Symmes wrote a letter of apology to Mayor Picard for the inclusion of Brent Coscia as a speaker at the rally. Apparently, Mr. Coscia is NOT a member of the WHTI.

Brent Coscia apparently was indicated by media coverage as the del facto Rally organizer, and had several disparaging quotes published. The West Haven Voice article states:

Coscia, who was a strong supporter of the administration of former Mayor H. Richard Borer, Jr. and a former official on various boards and commissions, has never been known for his political tact. Much of what he said that night turned into a personal attack on the mayor, prompting critics to call the effort an attempt at “Picard bashing.”

Coscia was cited in follow-up reports in the local press as a spokesman for the WHTI. In one report he threatened a recall attempt of the mayor and Corporation Counsel Peter Barrett if the latter declared the initiative petitions invalid.

Robert Symmes indicated to the mayor that he believes the problems stem from decades long financial mismanagement, and pointed to the $94,000 of unused DECD grant money owed to the state from 35 years ago as an example. He went on to reportedly write:

"We wholeheartedly agree with your viewpoint that the level of city debt must be reduced. Our sole point of contention with your administration is the effect your solution will have on the taxpayers,"

The goal of the WHTI was reiterated as lowering the mill rate and increasing the funding for education and police force, and Symmes indicated that he would continue to pursue those goals.

Mayor Picard indicated a willingness to work with Symmes in the WH Voice piece, but continued to state that no solutions were being presented to date -- only goals, and he would like to see what plan Symmes has to replace the $10 M that would be lost by lowering the mill rate from 27.98 to 24.5, as well as where to find the additional funds to restore the educational and public safety budgets.

$10 million is no minor amount... but as I've discussed in this blog (which is not directly associated with the WHTI), there are places that we can cut some chaff, and I think that there are MANY opportunities to boost revenue. I look forward to seeing what Mr. Symmes has to offer, too.