By Dave Horvath, Sr.
To The Daily Sun,
Gilford may be an affluent town but not everybody in town is affluent. We need people in our elected positions who understand this dynamic. Gilford has many citizens that their only source of income is their Social Security check. Many people who work in the private sector have not seen raises for years on end. Obamacare has cost them dearly. Yet they are asked to keep supporting a never-ending rise in government costs.
This year we have contested positions for all of the Budget Committee seats. I am supporting those candidates that have proven themselves to be stewards of all of Gilford’s citizens’ tax dollars. Norm Silber and Harry Bean are running for re-election. They understand the need for essential town services and superb schools while at the same time assuring that every dollar requested is a dollar well spent. Two newcomers on the ballot that I am also supporting are Jack Kelly and Priscilla Bean. They also have expressed their values as being fiscally conservative.
Conversely, during my seven years as a member of Gilford’s Budget Committee, I have watched the antics of several of the other candidates for these positions. They have actively sought to increase the budgets presented to the voters. In many cases they were successful.
They have actively sought to increase the budgets presented to the voters. In many cases they were successful. This has been primarily on the school budgets. This is in spite of our district being grossly overstaffed and our space capacity underused. Keep in mind that we have lost another 100 students over the course of four years but only one teaching position has been cut. Since the Middle-High School was built around 15 years ago, our student population is down over 500 students. We now have around 1,050 students with a capacity for over 2,000 in our buildings.
We need elected officials that will look at innovative ways to save the people of Gilford unnecessary costs. Perhaps we should share a superintendent with Gilmanton. Our administrative costs are extreme for a small district. Perhaps we need to mothball space. We definitely need to reduce staff. And I don’t want to hear, as one member of the school board expressed, “We are all sensitive to the issue.” They are elected to make the tough decisions and to be the citizen’s representatives, not the school’s lackeys.
While our chair of the school board tells us that they have saved us money this year. She fails to tell you the rest of the story. The district saved around $750,000 in health care costs. They still managed to spend most of that “saved” money on other things.
With the above in mind I will also be supporting Glen Aldrich as a write-in candidate for the school board. He has also proven himself as a conservator of the citizens’ tax dollars.
I encourage everyone to vote for sound fiscal management. Again, please join me in voting for Norm Silber, Harry Bean, Jack Kelly, Priscilla Bean and Glen Aldridge.
Sincerely,
David R. Horvath Sr.
Gilford
