Thursday, May 14, the polls are open in Chatham from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

VOTE SEAN SUMMERS!!

There are two selectmen standing for two seats. Both are running for re-election. In effect, both are running uncontested.

Chairman Sean Summers has been the champion of the taxpayer on the Board of Selectmen for this year and years before. He deserves an outstanding vote of thanks. Make sure you get to the polls to vote for Sean and urge your friends and neighbors to do the same. Sean is often a lonely -- and unpopular -- voice for sanity in spending in Chatham. May his numbers increase, but there is no opportunity for that at this election. The best we can do is show strong support for his stand against overtaxing and overspending. Because Sean does not support extravagant spending and wanted pay raises reined in during this time of hardship for taxpayers, those who favor spending whatever will probably give Sean a pass. Therefore, you can give maximum force to your vote by voting only for Sean.

Florence Seldin is a very intelligent, well-informed, hard-working, competent, honest, caring individual who also has the interests of Chatham very much in mind. She wants to do good things, as does Sean, but puts less emphasis on the concerns of taxpayers. The net result is that Sean is often a single vote in opposition with Florence being one of the majority of four united for spending whatever can be pushed through Town Meeting, even though it provided for over $2 million in deficit spending and an increase in the property tax levy of $770,000. Our emergency funds were shrunk below the minimum of $2 million (set by the Town years ago when the budget was smaller) to pay for spending that current revenues were insufficient to support.

If Florence had stood with Sean in opposition to the deficit budget that the Town Administration prepared that was presented to Town Meeting, it would have been defeated, in our opinion. That budget was disapproved by 342 voters. With less than 60 votes more, it would have been defeated,

Florence is popular and very likeable and is an excellent addition to the Board of Selectmen. She will draw a fine vote. However, what's important to concerned taxpayers is a strong vote for Sean. The spenders will be voting for Florence. Skipping a vote for Florence will have no effect on her return to the Board of Selectmen. It may send a small message.

There is a contest for School Committee. The present School Committee did not do well by the schools. It fought against disclosure of information. It did not provide its detailed budget for inclusion in the Town Warrant. It even rejected cuts in spending proposed by the Superintendent. As far as we know, there were no dissenters among the School Committee members against spending as the answer to every challenge. It may be worth voting for the newcomer on the ballot Eric Whitley to see if some advocacy for cost efficiency can be planted in the School Committee. So far, he doesn't appear to be the solid champion of the taxpayer that Sean Summers is, but at least there may be a chance he could be. As between the two, a vote for Whitely may be preferable.

The other major item on the ballot is a vote for the sewer. To move the sewer ahead now a yes vote is required. If the vote is no the sewer construction would not begin until a year or so later. The reason for pushing ahead this year before voters had a chance to become fully informed about the costs to them as taxpayers (size and scope of the projects, opportunities for savings and impacts on individual household taxes) is the opportunity to pursue federal stimulus money which may or may not be available next year. Low interest and no interest loans will continue to be available next year and future years. The federal opportunity is for grant money of between $5 million and $15 million. If Chatham is lucky enough to get $15 million, that would be 5% of the minimum estimated sewer cost of $300 million, not an overwhelming amount, but, as they say, not chopped liver, either. Since it would come at the front end of the project it would reduce the property tax hit of the first $60 million bond issue. For the mythical $600,000 household paying $2244 in taxes now, if $15 million in stimulus grants were to be obtained, the annual increase in taxes due to the first sewer bound issue would be about $174, some $64 dollars less than the $238 it would be if no stimulus were obtained.

There may be the opportunity to get the full financial facts about the sewer throughout the summer and fall if the Town Administration is pressed to produce it. The earliest construction would start appears to be February, 2010.

Obviously, this is the most expensive project in the history of Chatham. With the PD/Annex going into the ground shortly, that will be adding $137 to the taxes for the $600,000 home. The FY10 budget will be adding another $70 to the property tax levy. For FY11 one can expect there will be yet another $70 sought to be added for the operating budget, plus overrides for school spending and capital projects. Unless . . .