Letter: Some concerns, a correction and an apology

Posted 5/29/16

To the editor:

My concerns:

I have several concerns. Here are three:

My first concern is regarding the budget that was recently approved by voters. I dare say is it really a budget? It is a …

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Letter: Some concerns, a correction and an apology

Posted

To the editor:

My concerns:

I have several concerns. Here are three:

My first concern is regarding the budget that was recently approved by voters. I dare say is it really a budget? It is a number without line items. The budget committee is reportedly supposed to cut about an additional million dollars. I am concerned what will need to be cut to fulfill this requirement. We don’t know, because the “budget” that was approved did not indicate this.

I am also concerned over the current process of obtaining a budget for the town. The budget committee has many public meetings with local town agencies to try to come up with a budget that is in the best interest of the town. Then any citizen of Tiverton with 50 signatures (whether they have attended meetings or not) can submit their own un-vetted budget to be voted on. This seems like a reckless way to establish a budget. Wouldn’t you agree?

Additionally, I am concerned that reportedly only about 12% of the citizens of Tiverton voted on the budget. I’m not sure if they didn’t have time, weren’t aware, didn’t feel they would be affected or didn’t feel informed enough to vote. Whatever the reason, I think this is something to look at in the process of approving a budget as not all citizens were represented in the voting process.

A correction:

I submitted a letter to the editor titled “Short Term Gain, Long Term Loss” that was published 5/19/16. In it I indicated that the 50 signatures to submit a budget was an archaic rule. I was wrong. It was submitted several years ago for a vote and approved by voters.

An apology:

I recently challenged someone who was disrespectful toward a friend of mine while sharing a political view on a website. However, when I put that same lens on my own writing I realized I had done the same.

I’m referring to my letter to the editor published 5/19 titled “Short term gain, long term loss.” In this letter I stated a concern about budgets 2 and 3 because citizens of Tiverton may believe they were saving a buck but there would most likely be long term consequences to the town. This was a valid argument.

However, I further indicated that Mr Katz and Mr Sousa “appeared (intentionally or unintentionally) as a bait and switch scammers”. I went on to say I didn’t know either of them but hope their intentions were good, just short-sighted. While I said I didn’t know them or their intentions I still implied something negative about their character. I thought I was respectful at the time while writing it but in hindsight I was not. It was a veiled insult. I should not have written that sentence. I was trying to be clever not kind. So I formally apologize to Mr Sousa and Mr Katz. While I have a right to challenge your budgets, I do not have the right to put you down. That was not an effective or kind way to share my views.

I hope we all can find a way to discuss our concerns in a respectful way and find a way to create a responsible budget that meets the current and future monetary and service needs of the citizens of Tiverton.

With Rrespect,

Maureen Umehara

Tiverton

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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.