Last year, I sat through the workshops and meetings about the new City of Quincy budget for Fiscal year 2023 to 2024.

 It was quite the ordeal especially with the challenges faced by two new Commissioners who were still learning the complexities of municipal budgeting.  It was sad to see how much the finances were short and the things the city was not able to fund this year, most especially raises for our employees. 

The Police Department took a big hit also because of the new Flock cameras and the monitoring fees and the extra new police cars that were ordered in error by the last Police Chief. Additionally, there were infrastructure issues that needed to be fixed, and various other issues facing our city that we were not able to fund due to lack of money.

Then recently, I attended a lawsuit initiated by our former city manager, Jack McLean, which I strongly believe lacks merit. I have laid it all out in my article of 3/21. As I sat and watched,  I could just see the meter spinning and the mounting legal costs of the seven lawyers in the room, four of whom were being paid by the city. 

As a taxpayer, it was disheartening to witness the situation. It seems some parties view the city as a big “cash cow,” often without considering the impact on our citizens