Chuck Longton, Neighbor

This election is about the future of our town, not about any one of us candidates. Whoever wins in November is going to have a difficult job for the next 2 years because there are no easy answers and no silver bullets. In the past we, as a town, have spent too much money and taxed our residents too much to pay for it. We haven't been frivolous in our spending, just not discerning enough. Handling the taxpayer's money is a trust and the residents expect us to handle it wisely. There are things we all need, things we all want and some are both. My job, if elected, will be to know the difference and to say 'no' to things we want but don't need until we can actually afford them and find creative ways to pay for what we really do need without hurting the tax payers in the process.

No one who is elected in November is going to make any friends. This will have to be a no nonsence council and administration, dedicated to putting our community back on an even keel in an economy that is failing us. That is not going to be easy and doing it will not make us any friends. But failure to do it will hurt all of us - for a very long time. Difficult decisions will need to be made and tough choices will need to be made. I can and will be the kind of councilor that will tackle that job and see it thru to its conclusion.