Are you kidding me?

The finance director and Board of Selectman want to raise the pay of the payroll clerk by $5000 per year after adverstising the position in the Waterbury Republican only. That is ridicoulous. They (Sue Costa especially) needs to find out what the other towns pay their clerks and also get a quote from Paychex or some other payroll company. The town also must get rid of the antiquated weekly payroll system...Time to get into the 21st century Thomaston. We aren't buying it anymore...Also, where does the Board of Selectman get off raising salaries. Who gave them the money? If it's not in the budget it's illegal as far as the Leatherman is concerned...

Pension underfunded

The town pension system in town is currently underfunded by 4 million dollars. I was told that the budget problems in the Opera House will be taken care of soon. Sleep well tonight. It's warm in the cave.

Leatherman endorses Rob Kane

The Leatherman after careful consideration has decided to endorse Rob Kane for State Senate. Thomaston residents will benefit greatly from a bright young business man who knows the value of smaller gevernment. His support of tougher laws on criminals, more educational funding for smaller government and the full funding of teachers pensions show that he has the balance to get things done.

Seth Thomas House - Cha ching!

First of all, I'd like to say I liked it better when it was yellow and had a satellite dish on the side. Anyway, I'd like to thank all of the people who put thousands of hours into this building and piece of history. However, it is not a pet project for a few. This building is an asset that must generate revenue. Over $450,000 dollars of taxpayer money was put into purchasing this building. Thomaston currently budgets at least $10,000 per year to maintain it. The town has owned it for 2 1/2 years and it has yet to see it's first paid customer. The chairman should be made to get the building open, or be removed from the project immediately. Winners don't make excuses. Winners get things done. We need winners to lead this project.
What do we expect to get from this museum anyway? How many times is the average town resident going to go through the turnstiles to see an old house?
The current first selectman needs to get those doors opened a.s.a.p.

The thief amongst us!

There is a potential thief amongst us. He travels in a big slow moving truck. He shows up at your house once a week. He is the garbage man. How does he steal from us you ask? He puts the recycleables into the garbage truck. This costs taxpayers thousands as the weight of our garbage is charged to us. If you see this happen in your neighborhood, leave a comment and it will be investigated.

The revaluation

What did the town of Thomaston learn from it's recent revaluation? What policy and procedure changes have been made in the wake of the disaster? What makes anyone believe that it was the revaluation companies fault for what happened? Wasn't a major part of the problem the incorrect field cards that made these values incorrect. I'd like to see major changes in the way information is sent from the building inspector and zoning enforcement officer to the assessor and tax collector. An internal audit of these records must be accomplished. With only 3,000 residences in town a comprehensive audit could be accomplished quickly to ensure good information is given to the next revaluation company. Garbage in and garbage out. I wouldn't be surprised to see the next reval be just as bad as this one was.