Dear Editor:
I am writing to you in reference to the proposed 27 percent tax hike in West New York. I am a life long resident, a voter and a home owner. I feel a great deal of anger, resentment and disappointment not only in my current mayor and commissioners but in my fellow WNY registered voters. How can this man and his administration look at their constituents who are suffering through a recession and ask for more money? How can a man who has been in local politics since the 1990’s have the gall to say this is primarily the fault of Darren Maloney, the town Chief Financial Officer who has been recently suspended?
Mr. Vega, as mayor you have a responsibility to the people who voted for you and your commissioners. This man who you say is to blame for our dire economic situation was a city employee that reported to not only a commissioner but ultimately to you. You cannot tell me or anyone else in this town that you didn’t see this coming nor couldn’t do anything about it because, if that is the case, you failed us as did Commissioner Lange. You continue to fail us by now asking us to pay for your administration’s mistakes and to add insult to injury you were the director of the Department of Revenue & Finance, from 1991 to 1995, so I find your obliviousness to be extremely hard to believe. If this is the fault of a prior administrator or administration you are just as much to blame as our commissioners, a majority of whom have been in local politics for decades and have done nothing to improve our town. I think the excuses posed for this hike are scare tactics implemented to terrify those you are supposed to be helping.
The staff that will supposedly lose their jobs if this hike doesn’t happen are probably a bunch of people who have benefited from the nepotism and political favors that have become acceptable for years in the local political machine. The programs that may be cut are probably programs that keep the local population happy with little else than a free gift or a party and little to improve our streets, our schools or our infrastructure. This brings me to my annoyance with my fellow residents.
Vega is currently our Mayor because he ran unopposed in the last election. It was him or against an empty Republican ballot. Instead of getting angry now, we should have voted this man and his appointed commissioners out in the last election. I doubt he will leave until he has bled the town dry or gentrified it enough to be able to raise taxes again because many of his current constituents will have been forced to find a less expensive place to live. Mr. Vega, you may try to pass the buck on someone else but I lay the blame squarely on your shoulders as well as the commissioners of this town.
Sincerely,
Beatriz Pelaez-Martinez