Editor,
There has been enough animosity and vitriol in the news these days, so I hope to bring a well-reasoned point-of-view into play in this letter.
We in the state of Maine cried out for property tax relief and increased school funding by the state. We got a piece of legislation known as LD1 that was strongly endorsed by our Democrat governor and Democrat legislature. What did this actually do for us in SAD 61 (Casco, Naples, Bridgton)? It left us with a shortfall of $1.2 million dollars on our school funding! A ruckus was raised, and it got reduced to about $712,000. We in Casco already pay 75 to 80 percent of our total tax bill on schools, and now we have to help raise that much more? The folks who gave us this burden have offered no help at all.
Thank goodness for our representatives in this district. Ours here in Casco is Rich Cebra (the 101st district). There are also Reps Cressey and Sykes in SAD 61. I had the chance to talk with Rich personally about this shortfall. I found out that these fine gentlemen, along with our senators, took it upon themselves to dog the steps of the folks in Augusta that control this process every day, lobbying them hard even as they fulfilled their obligations to us and the committees they are part of. Their persistence finally paid off when the State relented and reduced our shortfall to $256,000. Rich was told that their persistence was the only reason we got what we were given.
Even though we did not get all we asked for, we will manage the end result somehow. It sure beats $712,000, and all thanks to the hard work and persistence of Rich Cebra among others. By the way, did you know Rich has never missed a single vote in Augusta? I don’t know anyone personally that has ever done that. He has consistently tried to stem the tide of liberal tax and spend career politicians who only have their own agendas to serve.
I say that given what we have had to deal with, Rich Cebra is someone I want standing in the gap for me and my family in Augusta. If anyone else comes around saying they can do better, I say make them prove it. Rich Cebra has. If anyone comes around cutting up on Rich’s efforts on our behalf, you can tell them no thanks because you know better. Keep up the good work, Rich. I hope there are many more coming on board to join hands with you to serve the hard-working and over-taxed citizens of this district.
Gregory Swift
Casco
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