DAN ALLIE
As a family man and homeowner, I share your frustration over high property taxes in Westfield. I have been on the streets and knocking on doors for nearly a year. Believe me, “I get it.”
While growing up, my parents taught me a valuable lesson, that if you watch your pennies, then the dollars will take care of themselves. I learned that value of hard work, paying your bills and living within your means.
That is the philosophy I am working to bring the Westfield City Council. As your city councilor, I am determined to be your fiscal watchdog. We need to learn to do more with less so that people are not taxed out of their homes. I spoke with and listened to many people last year, while running for city council. Hearing from seniors living on fixed-incomes, working families and even many of our city employees about how concerned they were about property taxes increasing every year, and wondering how much longer they could afford to remain in their homes, or even remain in Westfield. That made a big impression on me, and I will not forget those people, or the concern in their voices. As a father and their neighbor, it made me work harder. My hope is the new city council will not repeat what happened in 2013.
One of the major factors affecting our local tax rates has been cuts in local aid from Boston. Over the past five years, the state budget had grown by $6 billion, but yet there have been no increases to unrestricted local aid.
In fact, since 2008, Westfield has lost nearly $5 million in local aid and this has put a strain on our city budget. Westfield was not singled out. Local aid is determined strictly on a formula. The problem is the Governor’s failure to recognize this funding is a priority and lifeline for communities.
Ten days ago, Governor Deval Patrick released his 2014-2015 budget. While overall spending increases by $2 billion, there is no additional unrestricted local aid. Worse yet, we are paying more in state taxes and this money doesn’t come back to our city.
The state has the revenue to send back more local aid to Westfield. Over the past 16 months, the Commonwealth has taken in close to $1 billion above revenue projections. There has been also gross mismanagement. The crime lab scandal has cost taxpayers $332 million. Welfare fraud is costing $200 million. According to Pioneer Institute, the MBTA maintenance department is wasting $250 million. That is our money. Meanwhile, Westfield residents just got hit with another property tax increase. Enough is enough.
If the state government learned to watch their pennies like our parents taught us, then there would not have to be state tax increases and there would be the money for local aid.
As a small business owner and manager, my plan is to use my extensive experience to find savings that will benefit the town while reducing expenses. I was part of the original management team that brought Papa John’s Pizza to New England, and helped open the first store in western Mass., here is Westfield, right on Franklin Street. I received a national award for 100 percent operational excellence and opened stores in Holyoke and West Springfield. Papa John’s is a very well run company, with a great product and investors with deep pockets, that is no longer operating in our area because of some fundamental issues. Some issues were internal, such as promising investors more than could be delivered in the short run, but some were the high cost of doing business in Massachusetts. Massachusetts ranks 48th or 49th in this regard. We can do better.
All of these issues could be addressed and fixed. If we could improve business conditions here in Massachusetts, I could call those investors and tell them Massachusetts is open for business.
Locally, we need to work together to support initiatives, which are both popular with the residents and city employees, and save money. I would love to see an incentive program for city employees who suggest cost or money saving ideas, that can be implemented. A 24-hour anonymous waste, fraud and abuse hotline, or a program to help city employees manage their finances and debt management issues, while protecting their privacy.
Moreover, by creating a better climate for local businesses to start up and operate in Westfield we will be able to increase our tax base. Any initiative by government needs to voluntary, monitored for effectiveness, and beneficial to our small businesses, or we ought to stop doing it. Our focus needs to be on creating jobs and helping small or medium-sized business succeed, by leaving more money in the pockets of their customers.
I am the Internet sales manager for a local printing company. Because of the economy, western Mass. has lost many very good printing companies, and the jobs they created. Last year, the state imposed a “tech tax”. It was so bad, they could figure out how to implement it and had to repeal it. The state was going to kill the economy – they just couldn’t figure out how to do it.
At the same time, they passed an automatic gasoline tax tied to the consumer price index most people had not heard about. I know this because I spent two months gathering signatures to put it on the ballot in the statewide election this coming November. We pay our legislators to vote on tax increases. None of this stuff is helping our economy or creating jobs. It is only growing an ever-increasingly irresponsible government. Enough is enough.
As your city councilor, I remain committed to being a fiscal watchdog and protecting the taxpayers. And, I will use my business experience to help turn around our economy.
I will always be available to hear your concerns and ideas. As always, please feel free to call me at 413-455-6186 , or email me at [email protected].
I am here to serve you.
Dan Allie
At-large City Councilor
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of the Westfield News.
