To the editor:

My name is Stephen Clarke. I am a 12-year resident of Tiverton, and I am running for the Charter Review Commission (CRC) and am working with the Tiverton Taxpayer Association. My purpose for running is to play an active role in controlling the Tiverton tax rate, currently the highest of all its neighbors, by far. It is the elector petition provision Article III Section 301 (b) (d) 1.) of the Charter that provides me, or any other electors, the power to control taxes. And, it has worked.

In 2011, Tiverton voters adopted the Financial Town Referendum as the budgeting process for Tiverton by a two-to-one margin, thereby implementing the elector petition provision, it has been successfully used five times in the last six years.

Prior to the FTR and its elector petition we saw huge tax increases. Between 1991 and 2011 we had four tax levy increases over 9%, eight over 6%, and 12 over 4%. Since the elector petition, our tax levy increases have been 2.6%, 2.2%, 0.0%, 0.9%, 0.9%, and 0.5%. This year, in particular, the effectiveness of the elector petition process was made apparent in sharpened pencils in budget requests submitted to the Budget Committee, and in the subsequent Budget Committee recommendations. The 50 signature requirement to propose an alternate budget proposal is critical to remove the taxpayers’ sole reliance on representative government. The elector petition has done its job.

There are other candidates running for CRC who are determined to neuter, or even abolish, the elector petition. A former town council member who is running attempted, last summer, to raise the number of signatures required to propose an elector petition to over 1,000, and to impose a percent limit on how much an elector petition could change that year's Budget Committee recommendation. In addition, there was a proposal to do away with the current budgeting process, do away with the Budget Committee, and have the Town Council determine the budget without voter recourse.

It is crucial that you vote for candidates who support the FTR and this very important elector petition provision. It is this elector petition that allows individual voices to be heard. It is this elector petition that affords the taxpayer a responsible check and balance to governmental budgeting entities. I have pledged to support the FTR substantially unchanged, and I ask for your vote.

Stephen Clarke

Tiverton

The author is a candidate for Tiverton Charter Review Commission.