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Taxpayers Must Have a Voice

Right now the fabric of our democracy is hanging by threads. Abuse of power is rampant along with a substantial lack of accountability. I absolutely agree with and support Alfred “Chub” Wilcox and his Jan. 21 letter, “Unnecessary and Counterproductive.”

The failure of a majority of the Old Saybrook elected police commissioners to understand the gravity of their acting as a civil review board assuring civil rights, accountability, and due process is appalling. Several commissioners chose to abdicate their sworn oath to represent the civilians and police personnel from abuses of power. This bylaw raises three questions: What recourse does civilian or police personnel have when their issues are ignored? Who makes the determination of who or what is investigated? Who makes the final decision?

Obviously, The Old Saybrook Police Commission is dysfunctional. The amount of time, resources, and expenditures of the Old Saybrook Police budget are often derailed by contentious.

I am writing to the Board of Finance requesting that board members freeze the Old Saybrook Police Budget to the fiscal year 2019-’20 level until independent evaluations of Chief of Police Michael Spera and the Old Saybrook Police Department are conducted and completed. Taxpayers must have a voice in prioritizing how taxpayers’ dollars are spent.

I encourage Commissioner Wilcox to continue to be a role model demonstrating how a commissioner performs his or her duties for the citizens.

Eleanor Susan LaPlace

Old Saybrook