To The Editor:
This letter is in response to Mr. Motes’ radical agenda letter. Mr. Motes, you state you have only been here for a little more than 12 years; obviously you have not seen the changes of The Valley that Paul Hartshorn has seen and you have never really met the man, only formed your opinion from the TV.
Let me tell you that Paul Hartshorn has given more to your community and is highly respected. He has served over 50 years on the Waitsfield-Fayston Fire Department, served on the Waitsfield and Harwood school boards for 24 years, with 41 years of service to the Farm Service Agency office and serves on the Waitsfield Cemetery Board and the Conservation Committee. He spent all his life here in The Valley, “a true Vermonter,” making a living as one of the first dairy farms in The Valley, a logger and a Vermont sugarmaker.
For you to say he is a Tea Party member is far from the facts. Paul looks at all facts before making a decision and over the number of years on the Waitsfield Select Board, he has been watching the financial impacts of the taxpayers. He sees businesses struggling, he sees the people who are having trouble paying their taxes and he sees our children leaving their homes in The Valley.
That is more than I can say for you Mr. Motes. You are quick to criticize Paul and other board members when you have never met them on equal ground or spoken to them on a one-to-one level. It would appear that maybe you should go back where you came from and take your radical agenda with you. As far as the members of the board that you criticize, have you talked with them face to face? I doubt you have as indicated in your letter. It is much easier to criticize someone in the newspaper than face to face. You have not even given them a chance, only forming your opinion on one select board meeting televised on TV.
Also to clarify, the garbage dump is not a dump, it’s a transfer station that is run very cleanly, organized, and without that transfer station, your bag of garbage would cost you double. The state salt sheds are well maintained and without them there, your state routes during bad weather would not be as safe for the traveling public as they are now for many who work out of town. At least there is parking at the Valley Professional Center! It is hard enough with all the state taxes rising and new ones being added to people’s incomes and businesses for people to stay here. With economic times like they are, it is time to use some common sense and be physically responsible. If you can’t open your eyes to see this, then I hope you enjoy your taxes!
Dick Kingsbury
Waitsfield
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