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Letters to the Editor
Marianne Scime, endorsed Republican candidate for November’s lone Town Council seat, submitted a second response to a request made by this writer on the perceived issues facing the town; one of which is wasteful spending.
As of this writing, endorsed Democratic candidate John Abraham has been contacted, but has yet to respond.
For background, see the following commentary:
Issues only, please
Scime response
At one time, elected officials were referred to as public servants. Nowadays, we don’t hear the term used this way very often because the politicians do not always act in the best interests of the public.
Having attended the Town Board work sessions and regular meetings for the past several months, I have become familiar with many of the issues that exist in the Town of Lancaster. I alluded to some of these issues in my last letter and would now like to expound on a few of them that deal with spending and mismanagement.
Currently the Colecraft building and the Depew Library are not on the tax rolls. The Colecraft building was purchased five years ago with the purpose of housing the police and courts. The cost of renovation, upwards of $11 million, is not feasible and we are paying on the bond as well as maintaining the building.
In the meantime, the police department, one of our community’s most important assets, continues to work in substandard conditions. It is time to stop lamenting the ill-conceived Colecraft purchase and devise a plan, with a time line, to sell the building and move forward on a facility for the police department.
The plan needs to include an appraisal, keeping in mind that the appraisal will give an apparent value and not necessarily a price for which the building can be sold. The plan also needs to determine the feasibility of using town-owned land on Pavement Road for a building as well as designs, cost estimates, etc. The revenue from the Colecraft sale should be dedicated to constructing or obtaining a new building for the police.
The same process needs to be put in place for the Depew Library. This building has been vacant for almost two years and taxpayers are paying utility bills and maintenance costs to keep it from decaying. Again, we need to move forward by selling it and returning the building to the tax rolls.
These are just a couple reasons why there is a need for checks and balances and a bipartisan town board. With my door-to-door campaigning, I will continue to address issues that affect the taxpayers.
Marianne Scime
Republican Candidate
Lancaster Town Board
© Copyright 2008 by Speakupwny.com
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