Overturning, Episode I

Kudos to the Standish Town Council for sticking up for Standish taxpayers and issuing an order at their last council meeting recommending a ‘no’ vote on the SAD 6 budget. The councilors should be commended, especially by their perennial critics in town, for taking a stand against a budget that increases Standish’s portion of the school budget.

It’s politically risky to vote against any school budget because, as the excuse always goes, “it’s for the good of the kids.” But Standish’s taxpayers should note well that three of their five school board members took a stand against the SAD 6 budget. It is always hard to disagree with fellow board members especially when it comes to a final budget, but, in this case, Michael Delcourt, David Hopkins and Jeffrey Richardson held the line on no new taxes, wanting the district instead to offer tax relief rather than issuing another increase to Standish. And while the increase may be slight – $62,000 more for Standish – it is the principle that matters. When a governing body is able to give tax relief, it should.

Overturning, Episode II

Lane Hiltunen is a believer in democracy. This week, he along with friend Tom Gleason started a petition drive in an attempt to overturn a decision made by the Windham Town Council concerning the purchase of 23 acres near the routes 202/302 rotary. Hiltunen believes the $400,000 purchase should have been sent to the voters rather than being decided by a 4-1 council vote, and his petition, he hopes, will recall the vote and send it to the voters in a referendum instead.

Some in town may not agree with his tactics, but you have to admire Hiltunen’s passion and willingness to stand up for what he believes. Hiltunen, a former military man, isn’t afraid of “the system,” and proof of that are the three petitions he is currently circulating around the area. He believes in the people’s right to decide major issues both locally and statewide. And he’s been rather successful in the past. Two summers ago, he worked to turn the tables concerning Windham’s personal property tax and what he saw as an overzealous tax assessing policy. That success has undoubtedly led him to believe “the people” can prevail more often than not.

It will be interesting to see if Hiltunen can gain the 1,200-plus signatures he needs for the land purchase petition. Watching him and Gleason around lunchtime on Saturday at Corsetti’s showed that signers don’t grow on trees. Each one comes with patience and time. But, that’s what makes the petition process so admirable. If they receive 1,200 signatures, it almost proves the average voter is on his side and that maybe the land purchase should have gone to referendum.

But, in reality, the council was well within their rights to approve the purchase of the property. We must not lose sight of that. There was no cover-up or conspiracy, as some may believe. The council and town staff were doing their jobs, and actually following taxpayers’ wishes. They were following the “letter of the law” because taxpayers at previous Annual Town Meetings have repeatedly designated about $70,000 a year into a land and buildings fund to be used to purchase land suitable for new school or municipal uses. The town has been on the lookout for property, and with the real estate market still hot, they snagged the 23 acres quickly, with little public discussion.

That may be the real issue here. Communication. Hiltunen and others probably didn’t appreciate such a large purchase being foisted upon the town so quickly, without warning. In speaking with Council Chairman Robert Muir, he said the town had to act fast and conduct contract negotiations in private because of the nature of real estate transactions, which is all according to the law. Unfortunately, sometimes public business has to be done behind closed doors, which is a hard pill to swallow for both the press and for “pure democracy”-loving citizens like Hiltunen.

With that said, a purchase in the amount of $400,000 is a lot of money and it is understandable why Hiltunen and Gleason believe the taxpayers should have the final word. It will be interesting to see if they, as well as the Standish Town Council concerning the SAD 6 school budget, are able to overturn a previous vote made by a body they feel is overburdening the Maine taxpayer.

(For Episode III, you have to go to the theater, sorry!)

John Balentine

editor

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