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Voters Have Choices

The Board of Selectmen (BOS), realizing that a defined and fair tax incentive policy was needed since none existed, approved one on Sept. 11. The reason for a tax incentive is to encourage commercial economic development. The details of this new policy were ably described in a Sept. 26 Harbor News article “Clinton Adopts Tax Incentive Policy.” This led me to recall the following:

In an Aug. 17, 2016 BOS meeting under then-first selectman Bruce Farmer (now a police commission candidate), a tax abatement was approved for Liberty Place Affordable Housing, reducing its tax burden from $55,046 in the first year to $3,500 a year with three-percent per year increases for an unheard of 40 years. During that time, this tax giveaway, assuming modest inflation, will cost taxpayers approximately $3 million! The motion to approve this gift was made by Selectman (now Town Council candidate) Carol Walter, who then voted for the motion with Farmer and then-selectman Willie Fritz.

The property at Liberty Place was purchased in 2012 by then-selectman John Giannotti and developer and current council candidate Mark Richards for $135,000. In 2017, they sold the property to Liberty Place Affordable Housing for $500,000. The 40-year abatement unquestionably increased the value of the property for the benefit of Giannotti and Richards with the assistance of political allies Farmer, Walter, and Fritz. The rest of us were left to make up for the lost taxes that benefited the privileged.

Walter, after criticizing the new tax incentive policy at the Aug. 21 BOS meeting with comments like, “it’s going to open a can of worms,” “cause a lot of unrest,” and a “huge headache to do individual abatements,” then voted to approve the new policy. Fortunately this year voters have ballot choices other than the two major parties.

Selectman Philip C. Sengle (R)

Clinton

Phil Sengle is a Green Party candidate for Board of Police Commissioners.