To the editor:

To the taxpayers of Tupper Lake:

We know that our taxes are being spent on foolishness. The park is one of them, instead of our infrastructure. Our boards are spending like we got lots of money without bringing anything to the taxpayers attention. We all know that the village is run on their own visions with the taxpayers’ money, without any referendum or consideration for the taxpayers, and as we all know, they are destroying our village and town as it was. The board members have too much power, and we all know who is running the village, and it’s not the mayor. In my opinion we should not allow any one village or town board member to get the power they think they have. There should be a term limit on how long the board members are allowed to serve in any positions. We need to band together and take control as the village and town boards are out of control. There are too many secret, behind-closed-doors meetings. Our streets are a mess, our water system is as bad as it could be, and with all the money we have invested, and they have to have it redone. Misspent money. And as taxpayers, we want to see in writing the order from Department of Environmental Conservation, the order in which we have to install water meters. They have a letter to the board, and we want to see it. Nobody is going to install a water meter in my house. They will have to install it outside. There is a lot of unnecessary spending for the taxpayers that had them installed, like the water tanks, pipes and all their plumbing are being damaged. The village should be held responsible for all repairs that are caused by this installing procedures. If the village of Tupper Lake installs a water meter in my house, are they responsible from the meter to the main? If not, then I think all taxpayers should be paid rent to have it on their side of the main. We need real industry for Tupper Lake, not over-expensive motels that put money in their own pockets and have no consideration for other small businesses. As we all have to go out of town to buy anything, yes, we need something like Walmart. It will draw lots of surrounding communities, and yes, they will spend in Tupper, not 50-plus miles away. Take care of our essential infrastructure, and stop creating your own visions, and think about the taxpayers’ visions of keeping their houses. Stop raising assessments to keep under the tax cap, as you did last year. The boards just don’t see anything but what they want. Population 7,000, now 3,000-plus. That should tell you something. Vote at the poll. Get involved. Run for a position. Get out the boards if you want change. It can’t get better if all of the taxpayers don’t get involved. We don’t need the mentality from the boards of, if you don’t like it, move. That is what they are telling taxpayers. In my opinion, it’s bullying and intimidation and threatening, like, “If you don’t sign the water meter paper, we will shut off your water.” We already pay water tax, so they need to stop threatening us. Let’s make Tupper great again. Take a stand. Thank you.

Stuart W. Burnett Sr.

Tupper Lake