Vote NO tomorrow on $5 million for 1 mile of road

On Tuesday Monroe voters will be asked to approve borrowing another 5 million dollars to reconstruct less than 1 mile of road on Pepper Street.  Many citizens are wondering why this road which was recently repaved at taxpayer expense needs to be torn up and redone.  One answer may lie in the fact that this road provides access to many Kimball commercial properties including a gravel operation.

Although this road is fine for residents, its many contours slow down the commercial trucks that also use it. Partially located in a residential area, does turning this road into an expressway benefit all concerned or just the interests of a few? 

Kimball with his many donations to both political parties has been a long time favorite amongst Monroe officials.  Like Kimball, they too favor this project, citing the promise of state and federal subsidies. If those subsidies are in fact received and that’s a big “if”, taxpayers will still be on the hook for over a half million dollars.  This has many wondering why these subsidies couldn’t have been directed towards other road repairs.

Like other expenditures put forth in Monroe, Town Council tried to push this through at a town meeting where the room is crowded with supporters and voting becomes a forgone conclusion.  Unfortunately for them they were met with hundreds of signatures from citizens demanding a town wide vote.  Yet in a first for Monroe, voting has been limited to a single polling place, a move which many believe is an effort designed to suppress turnout.

Voting will be held at the Senior Center, 235 Cutlers Farm Road next to the main entrance to Wolfe Park, Tuesday February 4, 6am to 8pm.  Please make the extra effort to come out and vote NO for this 5 million dollar scheme which is obviously aimed at benefiting the few over the many.