Can’t keep kicking the can down the road
Please note: This letter reflects opinions regarding the November 2024 “Middle Ground” school referendum. It does not represent the current 2025 Cape Elizabeth school proposal which is an updated and revised version.
BY JOY S. ENGEL
In the 1990s our town was alerted that its infrastructure was starting to fail – particularly the schools. And instead of saving for those expenses, the councilors – and every single councilor who has since served – kicked the can down the road.
We can’t keep kicking the can down the road because there is no road left (the road collapsed during the last storm because our coastal town has not adequately planned for climate change but I’ll save that gripe for another letter).
Instead of finally acting in the best interest of the financial health of our town’s residents and saving for this looming expense, the current council is allocating money to vanity projects like Gull Crest, video surveillance and pickleball courts. The counselors seem perfectly content to pass the full burden onto our taxpayers. It’s a true dereliction of duty.
The best time to start saving would have been in the 90s, the second best time would have been every year since. The third best time is right now. The council must focus and act in the best interest of its residents, by limiting their discretionary funding to crucial items and saving the rest for our critical infrastructure needs.
Three generations of my family live in this town – I care deeply about the financial future of this place and its residents. Can the town councilors say the same?
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