Don't blindly accept the 'only' option

The debate over the mayor's override proposal seems to have devolved into the mayor and his supporters saying that anyone who opposes the proposal is somehow against students, police, teachers, and better schools and roads. That is oversimplifing the issue and misses the point. Most people in Newton would agree that we all want things to be better, but there are differences of opinion over what we collective can afford and how to pay for them.

The issue boils down to whether there are better ways to address these needs other than significantly increasing our property taxes and piling more debt onto the Newton government ledger as Mayor Warren wants to do. Under his plan, our property taxes would double within ten years and increase the city's debt load by an estimated $90 million to build two new schools. This override proposal does nothing more than plug the city's structural deficit and allow him to "kick the can" down the road to future Newton generations.

Rather than a broad property tax increase and more debt, we believe there is a solution to addressing the city's staffing and infrastructure needs by fixing our current deficit issues and more targeted revenue measures. We think this solution and views others may have should be part of the debate rather than labeling everyone who opposes the current override as someone who either doesn't care about Newton's future or who is absolutely opposed to new taxes. Unfortunately, the mayor has not allowed that debate to take place as he is already pushing his pre-packaged solution in a rushed election. As informed citizens, we shouldn't just blindly accept the only option Mayor Warren has given us. That is why we at Moving Newton Forward urge you to vote "no."