In another example of Republicans showing some fight by stepping out front and center on issues at the local level that will hopefully resonate with regular folks the next time they vote for their leaders, the Manchester Republican Committee has weighed in on that city’s budget situation. As I noted in GOP Rising Part 1, there is much work that needs to be done to restore the notion that for good government, we need the GOP in charge. In order for that, we must reconnect with ordinary people. Taking a meaningful stand against spending-driven tax increases has long been one of the good ways to do so.
Manchester Republicans this week have done just that with this hard-hitting press release laying out facts about that city’s growing school budget that need little explanation:
Manchester Republican Committee to School District: It is time to live within your means
MSD expenditures have grown by 50% in just ten short years
Manchester- Manchester is facing a $13 million dollar decline in expected revenues and we have 1,500 less students in our school system then just 4 short years ago. Every Manchester resident is facing a higher cost of living and is being forced to make tough decisions to make ends meet. The Manchester Republican Committee is calling on the Manchester School administration to stop playing politics and support Mayor Guinta’s reasonable budget reductions. We have attached a graph that shows just how much our school budget has grown over the past ten years.
Fiscal Year Expenditures
2000 100,573,352
2001 106,832,425
2002 115,808,857
2003 125,898,267
2004 126,575,275
2005 137,499,619
2006 142,203,719
2007 145,500,000
2008 147,250,000
2009 153,100,000
[2009 #’s reflect budget request]
“Many Manchester residents are making tough financial decisions every day. While school enrollment is continually going down, the Manchester School Department’s expenditures have risen by over 50%. I am sure that the average resident has not seen their income rise by this level during the same time period. With the rising cost of living, and uncertain economic outlook, the school department’s request cannot be seen as anything but unreasonable. Manchester residents cannot continue to be asked to dip into their pockets year after year. We are urging the Alderman and the School department officials to support Mayor Guinta’s reasonable budget reductions,” said Manchester Republican Committee Chairman John Castelot.
This is the kind of fiscal leadership and attitude that Republicans were at one time noted for. We need to regain the confidence of ordinary people to trust Republicans to be counted upon to do the right thing when it comes to our tax dollars. Kudos to the local Republicans of Manchester, and Mayor Giunta for working to make that a reality. Hopefully more local groups will follow suit so that we can successfully rebuild the Republican brand statewide…
