I enjoyed reading Councilor Flaherty’s review of setting the new tax codes, he is the only at large councilor that I voted for and it seems that a lot of other citizens had the same idea. Having worked in the private sector for over 40 years as a Financial Analyst I can relate to the budget process. He is 100 percent accurate to try to address the huge liabilities of funding city benefits. In the private sector these have been under attack for years and benefits that we thought were safe gave way to trying to keep our company safe for the long run and for future workers. Many of us lost benefits in our pension plans and medical insurance plans. We had no recourse and we did our best to go on. Having said this there is not a budget that can’t be reduced by 10 percent, if you look at benefits. One benefit that the city can’ afford is the funding of the Quinn Bill for police officers, there is no public sector company that will pay for your education and upon obtaining a degree will automatically increase your pay with no added responsibility. Before someone says that I’ am anti police let me say I have all the respect for our officers, but this is just one of many benefits our city can’t afford to fund at the expense of the tax payers who have seen their benefits cut and our senior citizens that are living on fixed incomes. The individual who wants to become a police officer wants this type of life style and knows the risks that the job has, they make a decent salary and with traffic details they make a very good living and enjoy better pension and health care benefits than the average private sector worker. To Councilor Flaherty keep up the fight for a balanced budget that will benefit all workers and citizens of Westfield, the down side of not attacking future liabilities is a city that will go bankrupt in the future, and then there will be no Quinn Bill and other benefits and jobs will no longer exist!!!!
What is happening with the dead trees surrounding the green that were all killed off by the mulch volcanoes? Last I heard they were going to be replaced this Fall. It isn’t looking like that’s going to happen. Any updates? The planting areas were never mulched on the green. Instead, the area was planted with a plant designed to provide ground cover around the trees. In any massive transplantation event there are trees and plants that don’t survive. Replacement plantings will be made in the spring. City Council President Brian Sullivan said: “Councilors Sweeney, Callahan, Hararraghy and myself have committed to a plan of action to replace those trees. It is a promise a few of us made to a “special” Councilor that requested we keep that particular project in focus so that the Green will maintain some of it’s historical beauty. Our schedule is flexible because financially we may only get one chance to remedy what did not survive and we wanted to make sure we included ALL of the damaged trees after the contractor tried different planting options. Thank you for the concern on that project, it means alot to many of us.”
Yes, I have a small complaint. But, the thing is… Why do so many people in the morning, when it’s still dark, you know, they had a little fog Wednesday and today is Friday morning and it’s a little misty out, whatever, why don’t they put their lights on in the morning? Drive along and then all of a sudden out of nowhere you spot them. I think there should be something done about it because it could cause some real serious problems. It doesn’t take much. And I don’t understand why they’re not on because if the lights aren’t on you can’t see what is on your instruments. Can’t quite see the purpose of it. Let’s hope that people get the message and put their lights ion in the morning. They need to. Thank you.
Yes, I’m not a college graduate and I’ve lived here in Westfield all my life. I’ll tell you right now: Westfield downtown is pretty but it’s not going to make it. And Mr. Knapik I’ll tell you why: you keep increasing the taxes, especially the seniors. You don’t give us a break on anything. Taxes are much too high and we can’t afford to go in town to buy anything. So I don’t think Westfield downtown is going to make it. It will with college kids yeah, but not for us older people, retired. I’ll tell you another thing: it’s a dreamer’s paradise if you don’t straighten your act here and get yourself together. Take care of the older people. Give them a little more. A nice Christmas gift like, you know, a good year of tax-free. Then we can spend a dime down in downtown Westfield. Thank you and I’m not living in the dreamer’s paradise. Bye-bye.
Hi! I’d like to thank whoever found my keys at Stop and Shop today and turned them in to the customer service desk. That was nice of you. Have a Merry Christmas and I hope everybody out there in the world has a Merry Christmas, too. And I hope peace finally comes to this crazy world we live in. Thank you. God bless.
Yes, I was reading my Saturday’s paper tonight and I see that DOMUS, Inc. got more money to open another building for teenagers. What’s it going to be, a big party house?
Hi! I’m glad to see that the mayor and the council are finally doing something about lowering taxes. I guess they finally realized by this last election that the people of Westfield aren’t satisfied with the job they’re doing and they’re getting disgusted with paying these higher taxes. Well, I want to complement them for realizing this and now they’re trying to do something about it. Good job, guys. Keep up the good work and keep on figuring out ways to keep the taxes lower. Thank you very much.
To the city of Westfield : shame, shame, shame. You could not have the hill streets of Westfield sanded by 8 a.m. Thank you.
Hey, was hoping a police officer or maybe someone from the traffic bureau would go sit by that new bridge and watch the traffic where the cars have to merge. The people in the center lane there, when they pull up, they think they go straight into the other lane but it’s a broken white line and putting people in the right-hand lane and they don’t even pull over – they just cut you off. I would state either mark that better or put up signs telling people what lane they belong into. I’ve almost been hit like at least ten times so far there.
