To the editor:

The landscape is peppered with election signs as the many candidates running for Town Council and other positions seek our votes. Many individuals seem to be running independently, but those affiliated with the Tiverton Taxpayers Association (TTA) are running collectively, as their signs indicate.

Perhaps you recognize some of their names because of the number of costly law suits they have launched against the town, or more recently, because of their public feud with the Town Council about its authority to determine which of the charter resolutions are to be on the November ballot. They continue to rant on about this despite the fact that the responsibility and authority to make this determination rests with the Town Council.

For all of their “Letters to the Editor” during this election period and in previous cycles, I have yet to read a single positive letter from any one of the TTA candidates. I have never heard one of them acknowledge the work of the many volunteers in Tiverton or those paid employees who frequently go above and beyond to contribute to the welfare of the town residents. While they do participate in the affairs of the town, there is always a sense that they are serving only the narrow interests of their group rather than the broader interests of the community. They don’t seem to support anything besides lower taxes, regardless of how that singular goal might impact the quality of life in our beautiful coastal town.

Have you ever seen or heard anything from TTA about their plan for funding landfill closure? Or their plans for funding repair of crumbling roads and bridges? Or their grasp of the impact of sea-level rise on the safety and security of townspeople? Or how they would envision meeting the needs of residents who require support services? Or their ability to avoid a fiscal crises? Or anything else deserving of consideration? I have not.

In my view, Tiverton will be best served by electing individuals who are independent thinkers, not group affiliates, and who are able to be take an open-minded and cooperative approach to governing our Town.

Chip Lawrence

Tiverton