M'borough is not a dying town; let's keep in great & affordable

To The Daily Sun,

As we enter the last full week of election season, this will be my final letter before we vote. I made the decision to run for selectman this year for several reasons, but primarily because I have a fundamental disagreement with my opponent regarding the future of Moultonborough. There are those who believe the town is “dying” and we must spend millions on new infrastructure, buildings and studies to attract more people. I disagree. Can they guarantee this will succeed? They can’t, and once bonds are issued, they must be repaid (with interest) over many years. A $6.7M bond will actually cost much more by the time it’s retired, closer to $8M.

Rather than worry about those who might come, let’s focus on those already here. So what do they expect town government to provide? To start, good services, which we already have. Our police and fire departments have the latest and best equipment, as does our DPW. Our transfer station and Town Hall employees do a great job. All are friendly and courteous and ready to help. Our library was chosen as the best in the state a few years ago and continues to be a great learning place. We spend many times more than average on a recreation department. We have a great school system that provides students with far more opportunity and activities than many other towns.

We recognize our seniors need an upgraded community/senior center and Article 25 will accomplish that (if approved) with minimal investment. We have no debt, healthy capital reserves, and a low taxes. So after you cut through all the “noise,”,\ we already have the things necessary to maintain the great, affordable quality of life we currently enjoy. With all of the above, will adding debt (bonds) for multi-million dollar building projects bring more young people here? Doubtful, based on what we already offer. But we aren’t just standing still. Our town planners are working on making the west village more attractive to commercial development (West Village Overlay District plan), which makes sense as there’s available land and public sewer in that part of town. Our private businesses continue to expand. New homes and remodels continue, keeping people working. We have a private party willing to invest several hundred thousand to repurpose the Taylor house to save a historic building in the heart of the village.

Is this the picture of a “dying” town? Hardly. So, here’s my vision for Moultonborough: Maintain the character and affordability we have now, combined with common-sense investment where necessary. Adding additional debt isn’t in our best interest. Keeping Moultonborough the great affordable place it is now is the correct way forward. If you agree, I ask for your vote next Tuesday. Keep Moultonborough Moultonborough!

Chuck McGee

Moultonborough