To the Editor: 
For the town council and government spenders, the goal is to avoid lowering Tiverton’s tax levy, and hence your tax rate, no matter what. Logically then the casino revenues will accumulate because they will not be used to offset your taxes each year and instead will be available for unfettered town council spending and shell games. Although the town council may masquerade it in various buckets, accounts, and schemes - it is really this simple. (This is the real shell game, Mr. Leonard.) 
This might explain why town councilors and their budget committee appointed pawns worked in consort frantically last weekend to proliferate “Budget #1” lawn signs – increase spending and keep the tax levy high so the council can “allocate” a substantial amount of the initial year casino revenue into special accounts that they, the Town Council, define and control. In fact, the Town Council even recently voted the framework for these accounts.
This taking of the casino revenue out of the FTR process which includes voter control is a huge Town Council power grab – but it can be impeded by your FTR vote. Who would have thought so much was at stake in this FTR?
Predictably (and sadly, since supported by Town Councilors), the taglines used on the Budget #1 signs included all the usual scare tactics and threats to voters. Recent “low tax” budgets have been overwhelmingly approved by FTR voters and “the sky did not fall”. 
In contrast, approval of Budget #2 will keep you, the FTR voter, in control of this “first million dollars” of casino revenue and decrease the tax levy by a full 2.9%. Since we all need to live alongside this casino, isn’t this what we want – to lower taxes? Sure, we all want to improve our town infrastructure – and we can - but let’s face it – the lion’s share of the casino revenue should lower the tax levy and your tax rate. 
Absentee voting is at Town Hall on Thursday and Friday May 17-18, and regular voting is at the High School on Saturday May 19. All voting is 7am to 8pm. 
At bottom, if voters want to see the Tiverton Casino lower their taxes (as promised) then step one is the approval of Budget #2 at this FTR. The alternative sets a precedent for taxpayers to kiss casino revenue tax relief goodbye. 
Jeff Caron 
Tiverton