from Mondays Letter to the Editor TGN

Letter to the editor

  I once again feel compelled to write you a letter. Once again we see the Templeton voter’s rights voted away by a stacked auditorium of a special interest group. The fact is the way the town does its business is not a true want of the overall voter’s opinion. The latest round and the next one later this month prove to me things are afoul in Templeton now more than ever. The highest water rates and loosing the right to vote is one sure way to keep the status as it is or worse. The school budget like in many other towns is not sustainable without a prop.2 1/2 override and Templeton voters have had the chance to vote that down 2 times. However the ability to do what the school committee has done is within the law. Your opinion of whether it’s the correct way is yours and meaningless to the process. I can only say like I’ve said previously it’s up to the voters that show up to decide again. The time will come again and this time you will have to be seen as the way you vote. Stand up to the special interests and keep your right to vote. This tactic of stacking the auditorium will be with us for a long time but not as successful if we “show up” to protect our rights. You voted on this before and now need to vote again for the same thing. Please show up and vote again to protect what your right was to begin with. The cuts to our town’s budget we voted in will need to be devastated to cover the amount needed to fund the NRSD budget we will be voting on. It will require a 1/5 reduction in an already bare bones town operating budget. Police, Fire, Highway and other cuts will have a safety effect on all of the town’s people and surely be a problem for the future of Templeton. As you saw fit to exercise your right to vote the last time and the time before that it stands to reason it’s been a waste of your time, if you don’t do it again. I can understand if the voters are busy and sick of the process, but if we give up our rights we also lose the process we need to fix for the future of Templeton. Please attend this Special town meeting on July 26^th and keep your right to vote this time. As so many service members give their lives and others put theirs on the line to protect our rights it’s up to voters to do our part and protect the process. I would like to thank all service members for their service and welcome them home after their deployments.          Special thanks and welcome home to Sgt. Jeff Bennett, Chairman of the Templeton Board of Selectmen.

Thank you Templeton voters

Dave Smart