5 Votes that is it. 5 people willing to think out of the box of higher taxes and slower economic expansion. I hate that we are one vote short on City council in the city of Dover. I pointed out some time ago that we needed to adjust spending because we were on a path that could not be sustained without tax increase. It has cost us millions. In good times the city budget soared, now it is time to pay the bill. Some council members have come to the realization that we need to reign in spending. Some still have not.

It appears that we are one vote shy. We need to change that fact. I believe we need to manage our money better. We need to partner with the municipalities throughout the county to expand libraries accessible to all citizens of the county. We don’t need to go it alone. It makes no sense to duplicate the expenditures when we can be partners. The same is true of parks. I was glad to be part of helping save taxpayers 10 million dollars by opposing the original 13 million dollar Schutte Park facility. I was a vocal advocate of a metal building which fit in the budget. As part of the parks and recreation committee, I participated in the change so I know it is possible. We can have everything we need just not everything we see. We not only have to set priorities, but we need to find the most cost effective way to achieve them.

Quite frankly, I think this applies across the board not just to city government.