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Town Meeting Representative Candidates

Authored by: ScottMcCarty on Wednesday, February 25 2009 @ 10:22 AM GMT+4

If people want to connect with me, you can always check out my rinky little website:

www.scottforbrattleboro.org

On the website, you can learn more about me, my background and where I stand on the issues facing the town. I'm also knocking on doors when I can so maybe we will connect on your doorstep.

www.scottforbrattleboro.org

Thanks!
-Scott

Town Meeting Representative Candidates

Authored by: cgrotke on Wednesday, February 25 2009 @ 08:43 PM GMT+4

Have you made up your mind on PAYT?

As a District 3 resident, I'm hoping that you will be asking to put the
money back in and NOT allow PAYT at this time.

Town Meeting Representative Candidates

Authored by: ScottMcCarty on Wednesday, February 25 2009 @ 10:40 PM GMT+4

I was talking to some folks about this the other day and I remembered how several towns -- from Greenfield to South Burlington have PAYT and they have no problems with the garbage issue. However, I think that right now in these trying fiscal times, It's not right to take away a pubic service like this. Especially for low-income residents of Brattleboro, we have to be mindful that not everyone has a car to carry their trash to the dump if PAYT passes and not everyone can afford the added expense of the bags to their wallets.

I'm leaning towards saying no, based on the conversations I've had.

Town Meeting Representative Candidates

Authored by: cgrotke on Wednesday, February 25 2009 @ 11:15 PM GMT+4

Thanks. If you decide for sure before election day, let us all know.

Town Meeting Representative Candidates

Authored by: JefferyAnderson on Thursday, February 26 2009 @ 01:58 AM GMT+4

I'm glad to hear that, I am actually of the same opinion. I see the merits of increasing recycling rates, but how do you convince people who are feeling a tough pinch right now that expecting a tighter pinch to save the town money is the best choice for them?

Town Meeting Representative Candidates

Authored by: pjmelton on Thursday, February 26 2009 @ 06:21 AM GMT+4

I see the merits of changing recycling rates too.

Unfortunately, PAYT is all sticks and no carrots. I would be very supportive of PAYT if it concomitantly increased recycling pickup to weekly and provided some way for people who do not own property to dispose of food waste. You have all these people who express their mystification that we recycle so little, but they make it very difficult to recycle! Recycling programs that work are recycling programs that make it easy to recycle.

The thing is, once the SB got hold of the PAYT idea, it wasn't about recycling anymore. It came to be an ideological issue about taxes. The whole thing stinks worse than a Harmony dumpster. If they really wanted to increase recycling, they would have tried something else first.

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"Economic laws are not made by nature. They are made by human beings." -- FDR

Town Meeting Representative Candidates

Authored by: annikee on Thursday, February 26 2009 @ 10:35 AM GMT+4

Hear, hear!

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"I have words in here & I'm not afraid to use them!"

Town Meeting Representative Candidates

Authored by: JefferyAnderson on Thursday, February 26 2009 @ 11:11 AM GMT+4

That's actually been somewhat of an amusement to me. We live in a community that tries to trend toward the progressive (little p) ideas and the environmentally friendly, but the debate from the advocates of the plan has largely been about saving the town money. You are right, it is not as easy as it should be to recycle and trying to increase rates without addressing that will only exacerbate the problem. I have a pretty small apartment and I find it extremely difficult to keep my recyclables organized for 2 weeks. I know a few people who live close to the recycling drop off, therefore do not get pickup...but they don't have cars to take it there. I applaud a body that has some courage to vote for something they know is unpopular, but I don't think the implications other than the bottom line were considered.

Town Meeting Representative Candidates

Authored by: ScottMcCarty on Thursday, February 26 2009 @ 02:00 PM GMT+4

When I rented in Burlington while I was at UVM, recyling was weekly. In fact, many towns up north employ this same strategy. It should be weekly.

My roommate and I saw our trash consumption go down because we recyled so heavily. In fact, many Burlington landlords mandate that their tenants recycle. We also had a small compost bucket that we kept on the kitchen counter and would drop it off at the Intervale (a co-op farm in Burlington). We should employ a similar strategy. Yeah, go figure, the kid who attended private school and played varsity athletics for years composts. I just shattered a stereotype.

I agree with Jeffrey though about the recycling. The two green tubs get pretty full at the McCarty residence. It should be weekly. It could actually pay for itself in the long run.

Now, if PAYT is approved...there is also the issue about the sales tax that some people want to pass.

I already talked about that issue but what do you all think about ANOTHER sales tax?

Sales tax - and more

Authored by: pjmelton on Thursday, February 26 2009 @ 03:12 PM GMT+4

I do not relish the idea of a piggyback tax (that's what they called it in the town where I grew up), but I am in favor IF we know exactly what we're going to do with that 1%. Personally, I would still shop downtown, and I would not really notice the tax as long as it does not apply to food.

In general, I feel that the town, like Dora said, is thinking very short term about things, and so we end up just trying to solve crises all the time and never have time to breathe normally. You hear people batting little statistics around, like the amount we recycle compared with the state and national average, but we don't spend time and money on big studies that would analyze why we have these problems and how a variety of policy solutions are likely to affect the town and its citizens. Speaking for myself, this lack of more objective, scientific analysis make me extremely suspicious of big policy changes, because I feel that the SB has not really defined the nature of the problems, let alone sought all the information they need in order to solve them.

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"Economic laws are not made by nature. They are made by human beings." -- FDR

Calling District 1 candidates!

Authored by: pjmelton on Thursday, February 26 2009 @ 06:23 AM GMT+4

Hey, do any of you folks running for D-1 read iBratt? If so, I'd love to hear your take on PAYT.

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"Economic laws are not made by nature. They are made by human beings." -- FDR