To the Editor:
The three towns of Lee, Lenox, and Stockbridge are being considered for this by our State Government because it is expedient and convenient, not because it is a good idea. A recent retirement in Stockbridge, and a pending one in Lee is the catalyst for this ill-conceived concept.
This plan adds layers of bureaucracy and cost at the expense of efficiency and accessibility for the community.
Stockbridge is a small town in relation to Lee and Lenox. Our community’s needs could easily become tertiary with two larger towns vying for Administrator focus and resources.
This plan is akin to a Corporate Merger where the once viable whole community will become a small part of a much larger conglomerate. The result would be loss of identity and need, becoming blended into the urgencies and obligations of our newly created Regionalized Government System.
This proposed merger will not save any money, in fact, it may cost more. The cost may initially be in dollars, but ultimately it will be a larger cost in a community’s loss of accessibility and voice in how our town government is run.
I’ve always found when someone says to me “Try it, you’ll like it,” or “it will be easy no problem ……” I don’t and it isn’t.
Stockbridge, please make your opinion known to our Selectboard. We can and already do share many services with these communities. A Shared Town Administrator should not be one of them.
Gary Pitney
Stockbridge
