To the Editor:
Retired Police Chief Richard B. Wilcox’s last Annual Report (2013) to the Citizens of Stockbridge, included the following quote from English Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli: “There are lies, damnable lies and then there are statistics.”
In a letter to the Berkshire Edge, Robert L. Markovits of Town provided erroneous figures which he presented as the Fire and Police Department operating budgets. In his article Mr. Markovits states that the Fire Department is being “run cost effectively” with a $66,000 operating budget. I question the integrity and credibility of the source of that information and wonder how it was obtained.
In reality that figure of $66,000 does not even cover the salaries ($68,096) within the (Volunteer ??) Fire Department operating budget. The actual total Fire Department operating budget for fiscal year 2015 is $158,096. Broken down, $90,000 is general operating expenses and $68,096 (over 1/3) is for various salaries.
There is currently a faction in Stockbridge that is spreading misinformation (damnable lies) regarding certain departments’ budgets as well as the general fiscal management of the Town in order to pursue hidden personal agendas. Much of this misinformation is seemingly pulled from the air with no quantified information to support it. Of course there will always be those among us who disagree with the decisions that are made and the processes involved to come to those decisions. That is democracy. What is disappointing is the unwillingness, or inability for some to base their opinions on what is true.
On Tuesday, May 19, the voters of Stockbridge will decide who will sit on the Board of Selectmen for the next three years. Deb McMenamy has served on the Board for a rare five terms and is now seeking her sixth. Over the last 15 years, Stockbridge and the world have changed. As change happens and communities evolve, decisions need to be made. Many of these decisions do not come easily and none of them can be processed light-heartedly. No doubt over the last 15 years Deb McMenamy and her many colleagues with whom she has served have been faced with some of the most difficult and controversial decisions that any combination of selectmen in Stockbridge has ever been challenged with. Deb’s decisions have always been made to the best of her ability based on what information is presented. At times, a preponderance of information may even lead to a decision that conflicts with personal emotion. This should be seen as strength and not weakness. It is proof that Deb McMenamy takes her position seriously with no agenda and seeks what is true for Stockbridge.
Chris Marsden
Stockbridge, Mass.
