To the editor:

Recent letters to the editor have to make you wonder. Does the Tiverton Taxpayers Association still have the mindset that residents are too dense to see through their continued misleading and self-serving perspective of "how it should be in Tiverton"?

First, we have the recalled council member Robert Coulter who struggles to check his emails but finds the time to place blame related to a land use/zoning issue on the shoulders of the council that continues just fine without him. Perhaps he does not recall this issue gathering public interest several times while he was on the council? Now that he has focused his attention on this issue, I can only be relieved that he will not have official standing in the matter. I cannot help but imagine his misguided attempts making this matter worse. Tiverton is better off without him.

Second, Mr. Joseph Sousa from the budget committee, proudly endorsed by the TTA and his past be damned, people still vote for him for reasons that escape common logic. He used his writing prowess to place blame for what he perceives as inaction on the part of the library board. 

What strikes me as odd is that Joe was at the library for around an hour with the library board and the director for this yearly budget committee event. Yet he did not ask questions about his concerns. He did not explain what he can see and why it might need to be addressed. Had he taken the time he might have learned that there is a dialog between the library and town officials to remedy the concerns. What is the matter Joe, you cannot talk to a group of women? Are you concerned that they are smarter than you?

Joe continued on spouting his issues at the most recent budget committee meeting. There he claimed that the Senior Center was asking for money they already had in their accounts. Good thing the town treasurer was there to correct your errors. 

Tiverton cannot forget that the TTA wasted the better part of a year holding seats and pushing their agenda. Their members would do themselves a favor to take some time to listen and not speak. There are plenty of competent people serving on the Library Board and other boards and committees that could accomplish more for the good of the town if the TTA could stay out of the way. 

Thomas R. Buchanan

Tiverton