Stop the waste, unify Groton as one town

T here is no reason for Groton to continue with redundant governments in what are becoming desperate times. Before COVID-19, all parts of Groton were in economic trouble with many businesses closed and residents leaving as if running away from a swarm of killer bees, with each sting being another property tax hike.

I told Town Manager John Burt, long before COVID-19, to find a bankruptcy attorney. I am sure that need is very real now.

There is no reason for us to have three police departments (Groton Long Point, City of Groton, and Town of Groton), two town planning departments, two inept economic development departments, two clerk offices, two town halls, nine fire districts, and so on and so on.

This is really a situation born of selfishness, with remarks from some in Groton Long Point that go along the lines of who is going to go in my house in the winter and check on my heat — the Groton Town Police will not do this. Police should not be doing such things. I live in the town and I have survived just fine without these costly privileges.

Groton City Mayor Keith Hedrick has selfishly and foolishly said to me, as a diversionary tactic, that I do not like the City of Groton — with no supporting reason for this ridiculous remark.

I grew up near and presently almost live in the city. There is no reason for me to dislike it. What I loathe is our hard-earned taxes being foolishly wasted so that we keep paying a town manager $172,000/ year plus provide him a vehicle and fuel, one of the highest paid per/ capita in the entire state if not in the country; then pay a mayor $85,000 who oversees a 3-square-mile patch of land within our borders.

Thus, we pay an unfathomable $260,000/year plus vehicles and fuel for leadership of a town with only a 38,000 population, while Mayor Bill DeBlasio of New York City is paid $254,392 for a city with 8.3 million.

If Groton is going to survive, we must get rid of these crazy expensive self-serving fiefdoms and become one.

Additionally, we have large businesses and areas of Groton, i.e. Balfour Beatty, Odd Fellows and the Noank School property, consuming our services, costing us millions of dollars (minimum of about $8 million/year) and paying no property taxes. Balfour Beatty and Odd Fellows are laughing all the way to the bank.

Both political parties have poorly handled the finances of Groton. I am watching my hometown, once the economic engine of southeastern Connecticut, become a shadow of what it once was as our present town council pays attention to plastic straws, while our town manager is only successful in getting incredible yearly pay raises for himself and department heads, achieving nothing of substance to benefit Groton.

It is shameful, sad and our fault for letting such bad decision making to go this far and for this long.