To the Editor:
This election cycle is a very important one for the taxpayers of Monroe.
Before us is the prospect of a substantial tax increase due to an increased funding request for Board of Education items. At the present moment, the Board of Education side of the budget currently takes up nearly 70-percent of the total town fiscal budget.
The comparison between the two candidates on this issue is quite clear. With First Selectman Rooney previously stating he is listening to and waiting for all data and facts to come in before rendering an opinion/decision on how we need to proceed on this issue.
Whereby, Mr. Ambrosey is suggesting saying “yes, I’m favor of additional funding for Board of Education spending, and resurrecting Chalk Hill School. This opinion seems to be without clear details on how to handle the costs, consequences, and impact to the Monroe taxpayers.
Mr. Ambrosey further conflates the issue by suggesting he’s not in favor of residential development and wants to keep Monroe’s rural character. This campaign style slogan simply does not add up for me, you propose increasing substantial funding for BOE with no apparent suggestion or plan to pay for it.
Balancing residential development and commercial development is critical for a town to succeed and grow in a healthy manner. We often hear the statistic of how fast the growth is in the school aged children category. But do we also have an ever-increasing senior population, probably being the fastest growing segment of our town.
What further causes pause for me is, Mr. Ambrosey who is on the Planning and Zoning Commission, is making such comments as to suggest that residential development should be curtailed.
Everyone should be reminded that no member of P&Z can prevent or circumvent any proposals or development plans presented to the board which meet the current Planning and Zoning regs from moving forward. The legal and liability consequences for such actions to the town would be very significant.
While there is no doubt to the character of Mr. Ambrosey, one which has been built by his actions and words over the years, one can have questions on important policy topics that will be on all our agendas very soon.
Best regards,
Sean O’Rourke
Sean O’Rourke, who serves on the Monroe Town Council, is active in Republican politics in town.
All respectful comments with the commenter’s first and last name are welcome.
Ah yes, board of education wanting more and more, never satisfied , turned over Chalk hill school to the town and it sat Durante with no or little maintenance, now the board of education wants it back ro house a growing student population. And that will come with a hefty price tag to renovate cording them. So school enrollment goes up and down. And yet the board of education wants did little to no planning. What is their current 5 year plan? who knows but I bett we find out soon enough. No more cry’s of “ but the children will suffer” Time fir the board of Ed to step up and tell Lamont and tribe no more unfunded mandates. Time for seniors to kick into action and present Senior tax relief benefits such as reduced school taxes for starters. To the town council. I urge everyone to ask questions, attend campaign debates call your town council members and find out where they stand. Speak at public sessions at the board of Ed, it’s your money !