We’d like the community to understand what the group Concerned Citizens of Biddeford is and why we exist.

We understand that we elect officials to represent us, and we respect that. However, we don’t believe we can afford to wait to let an election be the only means for citizens to be heard.

We have members who are independent, Democratic and Republican; some have served as elected officials, while others are from various industries. Some members have grown up here; others haven’t. We are, however, united by one thing: the desire to make sure citizens are heard and that our city is being properly managed.

We are most concerned about a lack of fiscal responsibility that has existed and continues to exist here in Biddeford. We want to make sure taxpayers understand why their taxes are so high, where that money is spent and how decisions are made about where that money goes. We are specifically concerned about money being directed to entities and initiatives downtown.

As a group, we support economic development, we believe that it can lead to a lesser tax burden for taxpayers and we also support cultivating a community. However, we believe the opposite is happening despite a great deal of money having been spent.

Several of our Freedom of Information Act requests, which citizens can find on the city’s website, were rejected by the city. We intend to be more specific with requests and hope this is found acceptable.

In the meantime, we are combing through financials and other statements we can acquire legally and ethically. We’re determined to get to the truth, and we believe that doing so will improve the future for all citizens of Biddeford.

Craig H. Cantara

H. Howard Hanson

Concerned Citizens of Biddeford