Selectmen
hear resounding silence at budget meeting
By Elizabeth Prata
New Gloucester-A teenager's worst nightmare is to
plan a party and then issue lots of invitations, but
one comes. The New Gloucester Budget Advisory Committee
(BAC), Selectmen and Manager may have been thinking
back to those heartfelt teenage days as they sat before
the microphones Monday night asking the bare sprinkling
of audience members for comment on their proposed
$3,152,902 municipal budget. It reminded one of the
scene in the movie 'Ferris Beuller's Day Off', with
the droning science teacher saying, "Anyone?
Anyone?"
Edgar Wilcox did have a comment, and as he made his
way to the podium, he asked for a copy of the 209th
Annual New Gloucester Town Report. None was readily
available. He sat down, stating that he claimed his
right to speak again. "This isn't all I have
to say. I've got more." His wife Nancy poked
him in the leg, which prompted Mr. Wilcox to declare
that "I have just been whacked forcefully on
my left thigh." The audience laughed but no budget
comments were forthcoming.
New Gloucester citizen Wayne Cobb offered to go to
Town Office to get Edgar some Town reports, at which
point Mr. Cobb labored to don his coat and shuffled
to the door to walk across the rainy parking lot and
retrieve the items.
The meeting sputtered quietly as the people waited.
Mr. Leighton looked around and asked for further comment,
but none were forthcoming. An audience member said
that Mr. Leighton should synopsize the budget while
they waited. No comments passed between the Selectmen,
BAC members, and citizens.
From the audience, Mrs. Wilcox said, "I think
you've done a great job. I have watched you on television."
The Budget workshops have been televised on local
cable channel 3, thanks to the Cable Committee.
After a few minutes, with Town Reports in hand, Mr.
Cobb returned and presented Mr. Wilcox with a copy.
Opening to page 44, he said that he saw that there
were many listed abatements that were described as
"computer error." Mr. Wilcox said that "Either
we need new computers or another operator."
Selectmen Chair Steve Libby said that when the Town
changed computers several years ago it caused one
batch of abatements, due to a keystroke problem, to
show "error." This explanation caused Mrs.
Wilcox to declare, "Garbage in, garbage out."
Mr. Cobb asked if there were any copies of the budget
at hand. There were none. Mr. Leighton asked if there
were any further comments, and Mr. Cobb said that
he would have a comment if he had a budget to look
at.
