Mary French, Hopkins Green, Hopkinton, NH

The Frustration of Hopkinton residents is not limited to the Senior Center, which has - because of what many consider an unwise, hastily made, & unwarranted, avoidance of public vote by our elected Selectmen, become a focus. NOR is this frustration limited to Selectmen. The School Tax Burden is equally or even more threatening.

Most certainly No One demeans we Seniors .. a term applied to Everyone 55 years or older .. by commercial interests which choose to honor us with perks such as lessened cost for cups of coffee and tickets. Nor does Anyone want to Appear Willing to Deny Us Anything !

At the same time .. Board and Committee Members publically stated at the Budget Meeting last week.. THE over riding reason for Hopkinton Taxes to be spent to to purchase land by OUR TOWN recently is & has been, NOT environmental concerns (seen as less important), but to PREVENT the building of houses THAT MIGHT CONTAIN CHILDREN! .. thus it seems, we in Hopkinton are actually AGAINST THE YOUNG. Does that become :

We are ANGRY that they want to go to school HERE ? & we WILL DENY them Entrance!?

No wonder a letter to the editor in Concord Monitor 29 January 2007 page B4 can state : " The office of state planning projects that within three years, 40 percent of Hopkinton's residents will be over 55.. " Add that information to our joint fiscal irresposibility, and soon nearly half of Hopkinton will be jeoprodized by the fact WE continuine to allow run away spending!

In my opinion it would be useful to have each of our Selectmen and School Board Members, and the various appointed committee members under them, be REQUIRED to be more open as to how each member actually voted on each issue that comes before them. That would allow the voters to chose persons more closely aligned to their thinking & may the best one win.

Rather than as now, where we have ONLY a majority opinion offered- and the minority- in objection- appears to be muzzled in the final reports. In my opinion we need to follow the manner in which the Supreme Court enlightens the public on their interpretation of laws as they come before them.

Peter Russell, when questioned at the recent Budget hearing, replied for the Selectmen : "We assumed the town wanted ..." In my opinion he/ & some portion of them, assumed too much.

Cconcerning the recent acceptance of money offered by the Slussers - which gift also entails Town Tax money support now and likely into the future - please realize: Even a small gift for Perpetual Care of Cemetary Lot requires a VOTE by Town Meeting. A vote for acceptance or rejection - normally made by voters at an annual Town Meeting.

We are assured the selectmen checked to be sure the acceptance and spending was "Legal" .. In my opinion ( espcially since they felt that legality needed to be checked out) -this was, none the less, not wise judgement, and unwarranted haste. In my opinion, Our Selectmen further compounded, what I see as an error in judgement, by intiating the spending of this One Million Dollars, for construction of a building without Town Vote. This was/is not in the best interest of Hopkinton, a fact evidenced by the expressed statements - that - in their opinion (an opinion shared by many more) our duly elected & appointed officials are Not To Be Trusted.

My understanding is, there were others involved in the acceptance decision who offered a NEGATIVE input on both the acceptance & the spending. If acceptance and authorization to spend was not a unanimous decision: Will They ( who did not agree) Please Stand Up! Or are they muzzled ?

And YOU VOTERS .. who ARE Worried, Alarmed,Frustrated:

Will you Please Stand Up and VOTE NO to the WHOLE budget because of the intertwined NON-CORE items? VOTE NO & Send it back to the Town & School Committees for meaningful fiscal responsibility ! or are You Muzzled too?