As a former Board of Selectmen member who served when property taxes were 25 percent higher and more than a dozen town-owned properties sat vacant, I can speak to the success of our current Board of Selectmen.
I can also tell you how important it is to have five selectmen who believe in representing the best interests of the entire town, not just a few people or one issue.
In my 14 years in Swampscott, the town has never been in better fiscal shape. Free cash reserves and our bond rating have never been higher — clear signs of top notch financial management.
Property taxes are heading lower due to a number of factors, including smart residential development in a town that will never have a strong business tax base.
While Nahant is proposing an operational override and Marblehead is cutting its school budget by hundreds of thousands of dollars, Swampscott is cutting taxes, developing vacant, unused town-owned properties, opening a dog park, completing the new turf field and playground, making beach park and street improvements after years of neglect.
This Board of Selectmen hired and renewed the smartest town administrator Swampscott could hope for — evidence of strong leadership and foresight.
It’s time to recognize and reward those who have put us in this position. Continuity is extremely important in terms of knowledge and understanding of how municipal government operates.
That’s why I am voting to re-elect Don Hause to the Board of Selectmen in Swampscott (and Polly Titcomb for the open seat).
Barry Greenfield
Swampscott
