Kudos to Alderman McGonagle

If you saw Thursday's Everett Leader Herald, you saw an open letter to the citizens of Everett from Alderman Joe McGonagle addressing the criticism leveled at some members of city government for questioning the recently passed FY07 budget. Alderman McGonagle defends the questioning of the budget, citing (as we have here) the number of new hires and salary increases that served to inflate the budget. He takes to task the notion that the questioning of this budget was politically motivated and points out that the additions to the budget necessitated clarification.

We applaud Alderman McGonagle for standing his ground and defending the actions of the few who had the courage to ask tough questions. A few of our readers commenting on this topic have noted that the budget was passed and the questioning was much ado about nothing. We disagree. The questioning was necessary given the number of increases and the haphazard way in which the budget was prepared. Alderman McGonagle and some of the braver members of city government understand what the average taxpayer is facing today; increases in taxes only add to the misery at the gas pump, the utility bill and water bill. The increases in this year's budget seem particularly excessive, as Mr. McGonagle reported, with raises ranging from 6% - 18%, and 34 new hires. Alderman McGonagle also pointed out the total increase in combined Personal Services Salaries was $1.9 million, and there are still union contracts that remain unsettled and will need additional funds.

As Alderman McGonagle stated, "This budget will surely increase taxes significantly." It's hard to argue the point.