Vote down Winfield road referendum

On Nov. 2, Winfield goes to the polls to decide the fate of the two referendums. The referendums aim to answer the question of whether the citizens should have their real estate taxes increased to fill in a budgetary gap created by deferred road maintenance and poor budgetary oversight.

What you probably don't know is that Winfield has had plenty of opportunities to create sustainable revenues on our most promising commercial corridor which is Roosevelt Road. These opportunities, had they been exercised, would have served to take some of the tax burden off the shoulders of the residents and could have been used to fund road maintenance.

Unfortunately for the vast majority of Winfield citizens, the majority of village politicians hail from a small area very near Roosevelt Road. They and their Political Action Committee, Winfield United, aim to keep this asset of the village fallow. Winfield United raised $32,000 from a three-block area on Washington Street to command 6 out of 7 trustee seats.

So, ultimately the Winfield Road Referendum is really a wealth transfer tax. The wealth is transferred from the village at large to the few politically connected campaign contributors who curry favor with the politicians who protect their backyards. We are asked to choose between an impoverished government, incapable of maintaining its infrastructure or impoverished citizens to be taxed in much the same way that cows are milked.

There is a third choice if you have the courage to take it. Vote no for the referendum on Nov. 2 and take back your government in April, 2011. Then you can show the Winfield United cabal that the revenue generating assets of the village are for the people, not the privileged few.

Tim Allen

Winfield