Who does RCA think they’re fooling?

A letter from Tony Miezio

What are they thinking? I received a flyer from the RCA over the weekend stating that the RCA stands for “positive change and lower taxes” and that as village board members, the RCA “will hold the line on taxes and runaway spending without sacrificing services to residents.”

I read it three times and still came away feeling like I was being sold some swamp land in Florida. Who do they think they are fooling?

Full of contradictions and no plan whatsoever, the RCA has resorted to fear mongering and playing on residents’ genuine economic concerns to promote a bankrupt agenda that will lead the village into financial ruins.

One doesn’t need to consult a CPA to know that the village is facing an incredible financial crisis. The village was already projecting a $1,440,000 general fund deficit through 2013 without the release of the 2008 consumer price index and police pension fund liability.

The impact of the 2008 CPI of 0.1% and the police pension liability has the village looking at a revised 2010 deficit of $400,000 (triple the original projection) assuming that the current trend continues.

The RCA’s cure for this deficit problem is to save money by replacing all of the “overpaid” employees with volunteers or new entry level hires and to spend down the village’s undesignated reserves and capital improvement funds.

The reality of this plan is that it will have a devastating effect on village services and can lead to the village’s insolvency by the time the RCA’s term is up in four years. Change is required, but not the RCA’s.

The issues that the village faces today require more that a “say anything to get elected” mentality. The solutions will not magically appear and they will not be pain free. The village’s ability to survive will require input from all segments of the community, and leaders who represent all of us.

Rverside Landmark 2/3/2009