If you ever travel through Bethel, then you know that the conditions of the roads are am embarrassment. During the 2009 campaign, the issue of road repair was one of the top concerns on the minds of voters and in my interview with First Selectman-Elect Matt Knickerboker on election night of that year, the Democrat promised that road repair would be one of his top priorities.
Fast forward to November 2010 and the issue of road repair is still being debated in the town with an added twist...accusations of obstruction and dirty politics are being thrown back and forth (something that's not new to Bethel).
While members of the public are accusing critics of Knickerbocker on the board of finance (BOF) of using delay tactics and scoring political points at the risk of the public's safety, members of the board of finance reject that notion and state that they're concerned with the price of the bond package for the road project (8.5 million over 4 years).
While I plan to do more posts on the road repair proposal, and my take on the controversy surrounding the situation, the purpose of this post is to give those who couldn't attend the meeting, an opportunity to see what actually transpired Tuesday night. Although I tried to stream the meeting live, portions of the meeting didn't air due to the lack of 3G signal in the building.
Here's the video from the meeting. You can judge for yourself whether or not members of the BOF are playing politics with the safety of the residents of Bethel.
Public participation:
Board of Finance debate on the road repair proposal:
RELATED POSTS:
BETHEL PATCH: Board of Finance Sends Road Renewal Plan Back to Board of Selectmen
NEWS-TIMES (09.13.10): Bethel selectmen send road project on to finance board
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