To the Editor:
Do you suppose they fear the real numbers will prove them wrong?
I attended the Wiscasset Board of Selectmen’s meeting on June 19 and was appalled at what I heard. A representative of WERP (Wiscasset Educational Research Panel) and one of our selectmen went on and on trying to get Ed Polewarczyk disqualified from participating in anything to do with the RSU withdrawal question. They don’t want him on the committee or even voting for committee members.
Their reasoning is that Ed is biased and has a conflict of interest because his research concluded that if we withdraw, our taxes would go up and he has published that conclusion.
Now mind you, Ed has said repeatedly that he does not like being in the RSU due to lack of local control. In fact, he was the only panel member representing the withdrawal side at a SAGE forum held at the high school in October 2011. Some of you probably attended.
We voted last November to begin evaluating the process of withdrawal from RSU 12. The selectmen, as a board, did nothing as a result of this vote. Ed waited until it was close to voting time on the withdrawal question and decided to research the potential tax impact himself. His conclusion was that if we withdraw, our taxes would go up. He presented the numbers supporting his conclusion at a recent selectmen’s meeting.
So, he “led the charge in favor of withdrawal,” (Bangor Daily News quote) but his research showed that it would raise taxes. Now I ask you, does that mean he’s biased or has a conflict of interest? Quite the contrary, I would say he has an open mind on the question.
WERP on the other hand has said Ed’s numbers are wrong and that the impact on taxes cannot be determined at this time. I have no personal knowledge what the impact would be.
I was very disappointed to hear Ed say he would not be a member of the withdrawal committee. I guess he’s had enough harassment. I hope he reconsiders for our sake but will understand if he doesn’t.
Where do I stand on the issue? I need to see the cost before I can decide. I want to see unbiased numbers and that’s where the board comes in. It’s their job to appoint the right people to insure that we get just that.
If the Selectmen put a WERP member on the withdrawal committee, I doubt we will see unbiased numbers unless they also put someone on the committee that has an open mind and will see to it that the true facts come out of the investigation. Withdrawal is a very important question and I hope they pick the right people.
What do I have against WERP? Nothing. I just think they are extremely biased on this issue and that’s not meant to be derogatory. Some of my friends are WERP members.
Dick Grondin, Wiscasset
