William G. Faust Jr. is a resident of Dover.
I carefully reviewed Dover City Council President David Anderson’s response to several of my letters that were published (“Some clarification offered on Dover city finances”). It seems funny that he finally decided to explain/rebuke my letters only a few days before the citizens decide to vote for the council seats that are up for election Tuesday.
He stated in his letter that the city has kept taxes low, that Dover has the second-lowest electricity rate and that our water rates are also second lowest in the state. This may be true, but he does not acknowledge that the recent emergency medical services fee, the tax increase of 2% per square foot of an individual’s home and an increase in electrical rates are causing hardships for many citizens in Dover.
I, frankly, do not care what other surrounding towns’ taxes, fees or electricity rates are. I am solely concerned with the citizens of Dover.
Let’s keep it real. You can state that you are doing a great job, and the city is running well; however, if the citizens do not feel the same way, your point is moot. In the last presidential election, the citizens overall did not believe that our country was being managed well and voted for a change.
If the tax increase, added fees, electricity rate increase and now a possible water/wastewater cost boost were spread out, it would not be an issue. However, every time we turn around, we are facing some type of increase in an effort to balance the city’s budget.
Lastly, I find it ironic that, in the beginning of his piece, it states that David Anderson is the councilman for the 4th District; however, at the bottom, it states that the preceding is his own opinion and not an official statement from the city of Dover. The fact is, he is the president of the Dover council; you cannot separate that from him. After reviewing his letter, it takes on the format of a politician and not of a private citizen. If the information is 100% factual, why is he not going on record officially?
The citizens deserve an explanation about how the city is being run on a daily basis. I did notice that he never addressed/mentioned what cost-cutting measures the mayor and council attempted to do to stop/prevent or reduce fee/tax/rate increases. This question has been in a few of my letters, but he did not address this point nor did he state anything that the city has done to save the taxpayers of Dover from these recent increases.
I am being vocal about the way the city is being run because many of our older adults, the poor and one-income families are struggling to keep their heads above water.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
