Dear Editor,
Wow … On voter turnout (plus 21 percent), on percentage of yes votes (plus 60 percent) and on level of energy (Richter scale 8.5!). The town’s residents have emphatically made their opinion felt and known.
This is going to be very helpful for all of us moving forward in a specific direction based on the town’s vote.
Appreciate all the various town entities involved in the budget process, as well as the residents’ feedback. Particularly appreciate the first selectman’s ability in being able to navigate this budget cycle based upon all the various entities’ input he had received.
Best regards,
Sean O’Rourke
Town Council/Former RTC Chair /Republican
All respectful comments with the commenter’s first and last name are welcome.
Did he though? Did he really demonstrate the ability to navigate this budget process effectively?
This is the same thing that happened last budget vote and if we continue to have him in that seat making these budget decisions it’s going to happen again and again. Lessons aren’t learned here, Mr. O’Rourke, it’s the Anit-Education people in town hoping and praying that the people who want to see this town grow with new families and to support the schools will forget that the FS’s budget cut proposals would have gutted our schools.
This information should have been helpful to you, the FS and the rest of the squad of yours last year when the town made it know and passed the budget on the first vote, but again you just hope we all forget so you can do it again and try coming out smelling like roses.
Good luck,
Ben
It’s interesting to suddenly hear praise for “the residents making their opinion known” after months of criticism toward education spending and proposals for major cuts to our schools. The voters were very clear on Tuesday: Monroe residents overwhelmingly rejected the idea that our schools should absorb deep reductions while continuing to manage overcrowding and rising demands.
The community didn’t just approve a budget, they sent a message. They voted yes with a significantly higher turnout because people understood what was at stake. That outcome wasn’t driven by political spin after the fact; it was driven by parents, educators, taxpayers, and residents who organized, showed up, and defended investment in Monroe’s future.