This isn’t as colorful as Pinocchio vs. Stromboli, but it’s more informative. Here’s activist Bill Heck and Newton School Committee member Matthew Hills debating the merits of the March 12 overrides from Tom Sheff’s program Veracity on NewTV
Pinocchio vs. Stromboli Heck vs Hills on Newton’s overrides
by Greg Reibman | Mar 5, 2013 | NewTV, Override | 21 comments
I think Bill Heck made a heck of a good point when he said that Newton residents pay plenty of taxes already and quite frankly, enough is enough!
Newton residents have already paid for new schools, we’ve already paid for sidewalks, roads and buildings, but the city has spent it elsewhere (such as the 80% that goes to lavish pay packages for government workers as well as a $191M white elephant known as Newton North). It’s time to take the money from elsewhere and use that money for new schools, sidewalks, roads and other infrastructure. When we consider that Newton has a $312M general fund budget in 2013, the money is there if we allocate it right.
Hi Greg,
Thanks for showing this. Greg, it’s Sheff, not Shef.
I thought both candidates did a great job speaking to their base.
Great job, Sheffy!
Sorry Sheffy….fixed!
Thanks and Thanks.
What does it mean to say that roads and sidewalks , and school buildings, are already paid for?
I painted my house 8 years ago, and damn it, it needs to be painted again? I fixed the roof 19 years ago, and it needs to be reroofed?
Fahey the Flip-Flopper, you missed a few key points.
Bill said that we Newton taxpayers have paid for roads, sidewalks and school buildings, but the money was spent elsewhere (on a $191M white elephant high school and lavish pay packages for government workers).
Bill makes a really good point, its time to cut back on elsewhere and use the money from elsewhere to pay for the needed upgrades to our infrastructure.
I appreciate the context that Matt Hills provides in this discussion. There is usually a big difference between “a good idea” and this same idea thoroughly vetted through the trade-offs needed to carry it out. The Hills-Heck discussion demonstrates this. I’ve worked hard to articulate the case for the override in context, and Matt Hills does it better than I have.
When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, Sir?
Attributed to John Maynard Keynes
So Josh,
your flip comment to Dan Fahey implies that you wouldn’t change your mind even when the facts change? You oppose an override now, so you’ll always oppose an override?
Dan Fahey has been very clear and eloquent as to why this override is different from the last. Impugning his good judgement does nothing for your cause.
Josh, I understand you are getting frustrated, but name-calling is a bit infantile. To be honest your posts at times undercut your cause in my opinion. Dan treats you with respect, why can’t you do the same?
I enjoyed this episode of VERACITY. For as knowledgeable so many believe Matt Hills to be, I fear he may come off condescending. The use of the finger waving does not bode well when attempting to make his points. We could all take a lesson from Setti Warren. His delivery is masterful with the good old Setti warmth and charm.
P.S. Did Hills not get the full briefing on the numbers being used by Epstein, Lemeiux, and BNF? His numbers certainly sounded different than what I have been hearing! 3400 (or was that 4300) more kids in our schools? What happened to the 800 (whoops, I mean 900 number?)
Terry, my group and I think Bill Heck said it best when he said that when Setti ran for mayor, he promised to do more with less. However, general fund revenue is at an all-time high and spending is an all-time high and the mayor wants more money in taxes so he can spend more money on that 80% of spending that we have been spending money on already.
We don’t understand why Fahey engaged in flip-flopping because annual general fund expenditures have increased by $48M over the last five years. Setti is spending more than David Cohen and yet Fahey is now for three extravagantly expensive property tax increases?
“You oppose an override now, so you’ll always oppose an override?”
It would take more than reducing the rate of spending growth and creating smoke and mirror “savings” in order to get me to sign on to a property tax increase (override), much less three.
“Dan treats you with respect, why can’t you do the same?” No, he has not. He has refused to acknowledge that annual spending has increased by $48M since 2008. We asked him a while back why he has flip-flopped even though spending is higher than when he was playing the part of the “anti-override guy”.
Josh,
Setti may be very persuasive at a personal level, and make you believe whatever he wants. That’s what happened to Gail when Setti was running. A total patsy for him. His public persona is not so great, and he really has accomplished very little that’s tangible. But perhaps Dan is now interacting with him, and he has duped him as well. The school overrides unfortunately may be necessary, because of the condition of the schools, although I think the money could come from savings. If Setti saved as he says, and if the fees are bringing in so much money, and if we get 2 1/2 % every year anyway, why should we need more? It says that money is being squandered elsewhere. But, the Setti sycophants will buy anything.
The fact is that the Mayor had downsized the footprint of city government, consolidated operations and reduced headcount. The fact is that collective bargaining agreements have been brought in line with revenue. The fact is that, yes, the tax levy increases each year at a 2.5% growth rate, so yes, it does get larger. Go find a city in Massachusetts that has not increased its levy by 2.5% and we’ll talk.
The difference that Setti Warren has made is that City cost growth has been brought in line with revenue growth. That is no small accomplishment. The choice now is whether we want to address the inventory backlog. It’s pretty straight-forward.
Bill, can you explain exactly what you mean by “The fact is that the Mayor had downsized the footprint of city government, consolidated operations and reduced headcount. The fact is that collective bargaining agreements have been brought in line with revenue.”, and how much did it save the city, not reduced the trajectory, because the “trajectory” didn’t have to continue anyway if we don’t have the money? What was done and how much money does it represent, and why is the need still there for more? Otherwise what you say is just Setti hype and talking points with no foundation.
I would like to know the answer to Barry’s questions as well, Bill.
Janet,
It’s been hours. No response. Actually I’d prefer an answer from Setti, the source of the BS that came from Bill.
Janet, I agree with you that Matt Hills can be quite arrogant, condescending and dismissive. Suzanne and I met with Mayor Warren, CFO Lemieux, SC Chair Sokoloff and SC Vice Chair Matt Hills. Needless to say, my case against the overrides were buttressed after meeting with them.
Bill Heck makes a better case against these three overrides than I ever could. Then again, this is my first rodeo.
Bill can provide the high level context of why increasing taxes through overrides is a bad idea and I can show the details of how city spending has continued to grow and grow.
Barry: The trajectory continues by virtue of the annual levy increase (2.5% per year). Are you suggesting that Newton should be the once City that opts out of that? That our levy would not even keep pace with inflation?
The basic choice remains: Do the citizens want their long-neglected infrastructure to begin to be restored, or would you rather have it fall apart? Because if you want the former, that will cost more money than we now have. If you want the latter, start identifying what you would cut to make that happen.
Bill,
That’s the kind of non-answer I was hoping I wouldn’t get. I guess Setti has you under his spell also.
The “basic choice” is what I’ve been calling “extortion” in other posts. It’s keep up this sham of a system that is over-compensating civil service workers and pay up for stuff that the city needs or you won’t get the schools you need. We in government won’t give up our perks, so you have to keep paying for them.
Bill, you are and Setti are just pols like all over the country, who figured out how to use the government treasuries for their own benefit.
Scott Walker fought it in Wisconsin. He won, but you saw how the unions brought in goons from all over the country to protect their interests, and even filled the State House with obnoxious jerks. This is what we the people are up against. Setti, Deval, Sal DiMasi, Barack Obama. All cut from the same self-gratifying cloth.