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Dear Editor:
A candidate for an At Large seat on the Westfield City Council claims that as a CPA he alone will provide needed financial expertise. We already have financial success!
Troy Patton says he will provide “accountability” and “transparency.” The Mayor and his administration are so available that this fellow cannot add transparency.
Westfield’s administration has four who are very schooled in municipal finance. Two very conservative bond experts report at Council meetings concerning proposed bonds.
He told an out and out untruth about the Mayor’s not updating the Council on its “financial health.” The Mayor regularly addresses this. All Westfield finances are also reported up-to-date online at OpenGov on the City’s website.
Mr. Patton, it seems, does not know that municipal finance UNDER STATE LAW is radically different than what CPAs practice.
He has put out a sheet of “10 claims” – ALL out of date false accusations. He has not been involved and does know what he is talking about, i.e. he says the Comprehensive Plan has not been updated for 10 years. Actually, it has been regularly updated at open meetings and part of it is in process now.
It was stated at a Town Hall meeting that “Grand Park was losing money” which is UNTRUE in itself – it was made up. Mr. Patton refuses to account for the huge growth of COMMERCIAL development that has built and is building BECAUSE of Grand Park and the promise of Grand Junction Plaza. This amounts to many new restaurants, several new hotels and advanced manufacturing. Commercial has property tax caps three times that of houses.
$230,000,000 in COMMERCIAL assessed value is needed to service the Tax Increment Finance bonds. We have over $600,000,000 assessed value underway in Grand Park’s TIF area. Grand Park was conceived to create needed new COMMERCIAL tax base. IT HAS SUCCEEDED!
He even claimed at a debate that Westfield’s bond rating was so low that we’d have to pay high interest rates. Our City is so trusted that recently it got a bond for an unheard of 1.89 percent. Westfield has not paid to get rated since it was elevated to AA+ years ago.
He also stated that “TIFs cheat the schools.” Actually, Tax Increment Financing makes new COMMERCIAL development possible and the schools benefit GREATLY over time and receive referendum taxes up front. He states that the City needs to work with the schools. They regularly meet and plan together – I am part of that.
For what it’s worth I have attended most City Council, Plan Commission, Comprehensive Planning, Grand Junction Task Group, WeCAN, the Superintendent’s Council and the City Council Ordinance Committee meetings where I have participated for 20 years. He has not. Mr. Patton has a lot of homework to do. In spite of what his website implies under “vision,” there have been many public meetings involving hundreds of citizens who have been listened to since 2006.
The other two At Large candidates on the ballot have been very busy with City business and have served above the call. They know that the tax caps keep residential property taxes from going up except for the school referendum citizens voted for. The City’s tax rate will even be LOWER his year.
Mr. Patton makes it up and cannot be trusted. He has lost credibility. Please don’t elect such a man to our careful Council.
NOBODY could be more involved with the citizens of Westfield than Jim Ake and Cindy Spoljaric. They deserve your vote May 7.
Mic Mead
Westfield