Phil Blampied: Blackmail

Phil Blampied, verified user — Wed, 06/26/2013 - 22:24

This is nothing more than an attempt at political blackmail by the non profit which has been receiving a $51,000 cash donation and many thousands of dollars in-kind as a tax exemption from the town of Rumford for years.

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Ahh Mr. Blampied, "blackmail" is a threat so as to extort or coerce an outcome.  Seeing that the Maine Winter Sports Center has closed the alpine trails at Black Mountain of Maine, it's not a threat, but a reality.  Their action does not meet the definition of blackmail.

On the other hand...

You seem to have no problem with, and actually defend, NewPage officials' request to reduce the Rumford mill's property tax.  Of course, the reason they give is the possibility that NewPage will shut down its Rumford Paper Co. subsidiary.

Sounds like blackmail to me...

But then again, I am biased in that I tend to put more faith in the words of those not motivated by profit.


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Diane and Dick Pratt, Rumford: Black Mountain lost a lot of goodwill when it went to court and sued for reinstatement of its initiated article request a few years back.

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Arsenault stated that he wanted to clear up misinformation that the ski area sued the town in the past.

"That's not true," he said.

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It's important to know who is telling the truth and who is not.  I'll go with the nonprofit.

Huh?
By Phil Blampied, verified user — Fri, 07/19/2013 - 13:37

A board of directors is not an entity which can hold title to property. Are they a board of a non-profit corporation, or are they just a de facto advisory board? If they are just a collection of citizens, they'd better incorporate fast, and what's going on in the meantime? The individuals on the Board would, in effect, become a partnership owning this property. If so, they are a commercial enterprise and should pay property taxes until such time as they create a valid non-profit.

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Ya know Phil, instead of always being the critic (one who runs down the hill into the field after the battle is over and shoots the wounded) and b!tching in the blogs, how about you contact Roger Arsenault and help him out?

By Phil Blampied, verified user — Mon, 07/22/2013 - 07:44

If town officials use the excuse of a modest 12 percent cut in revenues to bring about destructive cuts in service, it is incompetence on their part, as well as a desire to protect inflated salaries and benefits even at the cost of damaging the town.

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mod·est
/ˈmädəst/
Adjective

   Unassuming or moderate in the estimation of one's abilities or achievements.
   (of an amount, rate, or level of something) Relatively moderate, limited, or small.

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Since when is 12% of anything small?  If the so-called overpaid town employees ($50,000+ / yr) were to take a 12% reduction in pay ($6,000+ dollars / yr),  I doubt the families of these employees would consider such a cut "modest".

By the way, since when is earning $50,000+ / yr after many years of service to the town considered being overpaid? Since when is $50,000 / yr considered a lot of money working at any type of job? Why do communities first look to balance their budgets on the backs of their employees when the gap between those earning a basic living and the wealthy continues to widen?

So, NewPage's taxes drop and in return, they shut down a paper machine.  Promises, promises...Go figure...

He (Puiia) said that valuation drop reduced the paper mill's property taxes by approximately $1.1 million. That also reduced Rumford's tax rate from $24.25 per $1,000 of real estate to $24.

"In the cuts that were made to the budget, the mill was the benefactor in the result that they're receiving a reduced property tax bill," Puiia said.

"Their valuation was reduced by $46.6 million, so they will pay $1.1 million less in property taxes. So because their value is less, we tax them less. So that's why I say the reduction of the budget was over $1 million and essentially it ends up that the mill is receiving the reduction."

"Basically, everybody else's taxes stayed about the same," he said. "For the most part, most people are going to see the same amount on their tax bill."

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Sad to see the distortions
By Phil Blampied, verified user — Wed, 11/20/2013 - 19:35

Perhaps Terry caught Carlo at an inopportune moment, but if this story is right, the town manager is spinning the facts in an unacceptable and questionable way (OPINION/SPECULATION).

Had the town manager, the finance committee and the selectboard had their way, we would have had a budget about 14 percent higher than the one that finally passed.

Given the current circumstances, that would have created a substantial tax increase for every taxpayer in Rumford. It would have accelerated the rate at which properties are being abandoned due to non-payment of taxes (OPINION/SPECULATION), and lowered the quality of life for people living on fixed incomes who own property in Rumford (OPINION/SPECULATION). So saying New Page is the only beneficiary of the recent budget reduction is just downright bizarre (OPINION/SPECULATION).

SAVE RUMFORD battled town officials down to a reduction of their initial proposals of something less than $1 million, or about 14 percent. Town officials responded with anger, insults and abuse, yet, given this turn of events, it is now obvious that the only responsible thing to do all along was to make the reduction SAVE RUMFORD was fighting for (OPINION).

It probably should have been greater than the 14 percent (OPINION/SPECULATION).

The problems with state funding and the reduction in the value of the mill were the :"handwriting on the wall" even last Spring, and the visit by the mill brass - the first ever in recent history - underlined that fact. It is amazing that, in light of the obvious, town officials were able to convince themselves that the town was a big cheese wheel from which they could cut an ever increasing slice.

Well, these guys need to go (OPINION). Carlo is on the way out and everyone likes Carlo so they have mixed feelings, but how much do you want to pay the guy you like for these errors? In June, two of these perpetrators (CLASSY) (can't think of a better word) are up for election. They must be replaced, unless you want to live in a ghost town (OPINION).

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Generally, there is only one entity in Rumford that will see a substantial property tax decrease.  NewPage (FACT)

I wonder if the residents of Roxbury were blackmailed?    

ROXBURY — Voters approved a $725,701 budget during Monday evening's annual town meeting. The warrant's 75 articles were acted on in 90 minutes.
Residents also voted to raise and/or appropriate $738 to support Black Mountain of Maine.    

One resident called Black Mountain “a gem in this community” and recommended that residents approve the $738.

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