Letter: While the unaffiliated voter sleeps, taxpayers suffer

Posted 5/6/19

To the editor:

I was chatting with a friend about the disproportionate number of unaffiliated voters both here in Portsmouth and statewide. We didn’t quite know why, but related what we have …

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Letter: While the unaffiliated voter sleeps, taxpayers suffer

Posted

To the editor:

I was chatting with a friend about the disproportionate number of unaffiliated voters both here in Portsmouth and statewide. We didn’t quite know why, but related what we have heard from our unaffiliated friends and relatives: “We vote for the individual, not the political party members.” 

We wondered who was informing these voters as to who would be the best candidates to vote for. The major parties develop platforms and pick candidates for office who to some extent mirror their philosophies, but that doesn’t always happen. Ballots usually offer only major party candidates, occasionally an independent — usually not elected.

We thought that maybe we should organize an “unaffiliated party” to get more voters into the conversation and help pick the best folks to be in office. Example: The print media seems to be getting fewer and fewer readers. So what did you miss if you don’t read The Portsmouth Times, or the Wall Street Journal (WSJ)? The Times editorialized on April 25 that public sector unions were basically taking advantage of the taxpayers. That resulted in the unions striking back with a letter on May 2 taking the opposite position. 

In between those dates I read a WSJ opinion written on April 30 that presented the unions as flawed and presented bunches of numbers to back up the logic presented. 

Most recently I read a report authored by the R.I. Center of Freedom and Prosperity. You can get to it at www.RIFreedom.org/unions#GovUnionsRI. This should be required reading for all Rhode Island voters but particularly the unaffiliated voter. 

As a Portsmouth voter and taxpayer, I was not happy to learn that my town was singled out to be an example of how Rhode Island towns have managed money. Page 17 of the report makes the assertion that Portsmouth’s elected officials allowed the unions to insert provisions in the FY16 contracts that resulted in: overtime — $1,043.082; extra sick leave — $1,027,458; compensated absence payments — $745,822; extra holidays — $543,499; extracurricular — $208,744; extra personal days — $152,992; clothing — $143,682; aabbatical — $74,2290; healthcare buyback — $46,100; tuition — $16,000; release time for union work — $8,176. 

That total of $4,018,845 represented 8 percent of the town’s tax levy in FY 2016. So, doing the math we might conclude as the WSJ did in its article that “Growth by political coercion is not a sustainable model.” There are ways to get Rhode Island back on track, but it will take the informed efforts of voters, particularly the unaffiliated voters, to manage them. Right-to-work laws would help. Pension reform is another absolute. 

When all else fails, start a conversation with your elected officials, asking for specifics on how they intend to manage going forward. What are they actually accomplishing for you? If you find they are giving away the store, fire them.

Jeffrey Richard 

55 Wamsutta Lane 

Portsmouth

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.