Hadley voters must engage in financial decision-making
On the evening of Feb. 11, Hadley’s Select Board and Finance Committee hosted a listening session, welcoming ideas on how to raise revenues or save money as our town addresses daunting financial challenges in the weeks to come.
I felt honored that firefighters from the towns of Easthampton, Northampton, Belchertown, Amherst and Hadley were on hand, in numbers, to make the case for funding the Hadley Fire Department. I cannot imagine how anyone who attended the meeting could doubt that Hadley voters should be presented with the opportunity to invest in reestablishing and sustaining our Fire Department. I hope we get that opportunity and I intend to vote in favor of fully funding our Fire Department.
May I also take this moment to ask Hadley voters to closely follow the efforts by our elected leaders and town employees as they prepare and present crucial funding decisions during the coming months. I acknowledge that many voters have complaints and frustrations about previous financial decisions. I am requesting that each of us come to the current deliberations with fresh eyes. For myself, I’ll be looking for our leaders to present a financial framework and strategic approach which puts our town on a sound financial path. I think of this as a grand reset — the proof of success will be that no one is happy, but enough of us voters rally in support of pursuing financial predictability and stability over the course of the next several years.
Bill Ennen
Hadley