It appears to me that Newburyport, MA is hardly alone in its financial “crisis.” Whether it applies to the Newburyport schools, or all the other myriad of financial issues.

It appears that Mayor John Moak could be seriously thinking of asking the people of Newburyport, MA to pay for those extra financial items (2 to 4 million according to the Newburyport Daily News, April 13, 2007), by possibly putting another vote for tax increases on the November ballot (in addition to the spring override for the Newburyport schools, $1.58 million).

In the Boston Globe, April 1, 2007 there is an article by John C. Drake called “50 towns tackle property tax hikes, Walpole says no; Scituate vote is split.” And at the end of that article there is this quote:

“Barbara Anderson , executive director of Citizens for Limited Taxation and one of the state’s leading proponents of Proposition 2 1/2, said towns seeking state tax reform are doing themselves a disservice by depending on overrides.

“It’s so much easier to put an override on the ballot and whine about the fact there’s not enough local aid, instead of fighting for reforms that will in the long run save the money,” she said.”

I would love to see all the energy presently directed at the override for Newburyport’s schools (for and against) and all the people that have been newly engaged in the political process, directed towards long term solutions. Fighting for “reforms” would seem like a long term solution to me.

I had never heard of Barbara Anderson, but in the small amount of research that I’ve done, Barbara Anderson is big stuff.

I have no idea what “reforms” Barbara Anderson could be referring to, but I would love to know.

If any of the readers of the Newburyport Blog do know, I am looking for information and education on this subject, for myself and to pass on that information and education to the readers of the Newburyport Blog.

And if you would be able to help, please email me. And also please include specific sources where I can verify the information. I’m looking for good solid facts, not opinion.

Thanks so much,
Mary Eaton
Editor of the Newburyport Blog