North Andover Selectman's Race
North Andover Selectman's
Race
>>Valley Patriot>> |
Dear residents of North Andover: Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dan Lanen and I was raised and educated in the Town of North Andover, attending local grammar schools and North Andover High School where I graduated in 1984. I am announcing my candidacy for selectman in the Town and would like to state my qualifications for your consideration. I served six years as a medic in the U.S. Army reserve. I have seventeen years experience as a police officer in the Town and hold a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration. My wife Leah and I have a daughter who attends public school in North Andover. As a taxpayer and family man, I have a vested interest in the future of the town and would like to be part of the decision-making process. My platform is based on “common-sense government” which includes common sense spending. One of the major issues I am currently involved with is the building of a new police station. While I support the need for a new facility one hundred percent, I publicly spoke out against the latest proposal as being too large and extravagant. We must design our new building to be practical and functional, striving to contain the costs within the Capital Improvement Budget as this project was originally planned. I have proposed a list of items which can be cut from the present plan while still maintaining a perfectly functional building for both the present and the future. Keep in mind, the police station is not the only Capital Improvement Project being considered. We still have the issues of a new fire station, an addition to the Town Hall and a new elementary school at Foster Farm. In addition to these projects, there would be further costs for added personnel. Will we be facing yet another override to pay for these future increases? Wouldn’t it make more sense to build a functional, practical building with no frills and use the savings for the impending increases? The school department has recently proposed an increase of $4.1 million in spending. If the Town has projected new revenues of $1.6 million and the Superintendent received all the new revenues, the school department would still need another $2.5 million. I would propose that all
department heads present their budgets at a roundtable
discussion. Each leader could then present and
defend any new increases in spending. This would
give management a more complete fiscal picture of the
entire town, rather than an individual department.
If a department head proposed increased funding, he would
have to identify the source of the revenue. *Send your comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com |
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