Don't Repeat Our Mistakes, Vote No On Article 22

A Letter to the Editor from Martha Buckley:

We urge Stoneham voters to attend TOWN MEETING, MONDAY MAY 7 AT 7 PM and VOTE NO ON ARTICLE 22! KEEP STONEHAM’S BOND RATING AND FINANCES STRONG! BUILD OUR RAINY-DAY FUND!

The Finance Board, the School Committee, four (of five) members of the Board of Selectmen, the Town
Accountant and many residents urge you to VOTE NO ON ARTICLE 22! If Article 22 passes, here is what happens:
 We will raid the reserves and repeat exactly the same mistake we made in the Water and Sewer Account that caused the 30% increase in our water bill this quarter!
 It would cause our town budget to be fiscally unbalanced. Our reserves or “rainy day fund” is only half what it is supposed to be now! Raiding this $1.1 Million would cause further damage to our financial stability!
 Raiding our Rainy Day Fund could reduce our TOWN CREDIT RATING. This would make borrowing for projects, including a high school, much harder. Even a small increase in interest rate could be millions in additional cost.

ALL OF THIS RISK FOR ONLY A ONE-YEAR BREAK! DON'T TRASH OUR CASH!

A decade ago, Stoneham was in a dire fiscal situation! Our property values were declining, and many families moved out. We have all worked together to build a much stronger Stoneham with a full police force and fire department and well-run schools. There is more work to be done, and this harmful article would only take us back to those risky days.

PLEASE JOIN US AND VOTE NO ON ARTICLE 22!

Selectman Anthony Wilson, chair
Selectman Shelly MacNeill
Selectman George Seibold
Selectman Raymie Parker
Gus Niewenhous
Dave Maurer, School Committee
Rachel Meredith-Warren, School Committee
Nicole Nial, School Committee
Thomas Dalton, School Committee
Jamie Wallace, School Committee
Marie Christie
John DePinto

Lauren Murphy
Martha and Joe Buckley
John and Wendy Warren
Jim Sinclair
Diana Cooper
Joan Quigley
Richard and Madeline Panaccione
Scott and Mary Blake
Maria Silvaggi
Tim and Geri Cummings
Christine Russ
Zach Capalbo