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March 16, 2003 |
Dear Reading Citizen,
Webster's Dictionary defines community as "a unified body of individuals ... with common interests."
On April 8th, when we are faced with an override vote to keep our town financially sound, Reading will decide what kind of a community we are and what type of community we want in the immediate future.
I am writing to you because I know you believe Reading is a community that has vision and is willing to provide safety, services and education to our entire population - the young, the elderly, the rich and the poor.
The time is now for us to pass Question 1 to give our town government the necessary funds to pay for our essential services.
And Reading Pride needs your financial support to make sure it happens.
For the past three years, bit by bit, the Town of Reading has eliminated most of our discretionary services to live within the constraints of Proposition 2 1/2. We have eliminated all capital improvement programs and spent virtually all of our reserves. Because of this history, if the override fails, the budget cuts required to balance the budget for fiscal year 2004 would come directly from our most vital core services. Once we make this devastating level of cuts, it will take years to recover. We would move our community in the wrong direction and dramatically change the face of Reading.
If Question One does not pass Reading will be forced to make significant cuts next year. Among them:
I am sure you agree that we cannot let this happen to our community - our town of Reading. That is why we need your financial support to ensure a Yes Vote on April 8th.
Members of Building Pride, PEP for Schools, and the community have come together to form Reading Pride. We are set to roll out an ambitious public education campaign to educate voters through outreach to the media, town wide mailings, and hundreds of lawn signs. In order to do this we need your financial support. Please consider a thoughtful gift of $50, $100, $500, or even $1,000 to support Reading Pride.
To conduct the campaign we estimate we will need to raise $9,500. This money will complement the hundreds of volunteer hours Reading Pride members are planning to spend over the next three short weeks to make sure we win.
Already the naysayers have organized to stop the override. The "usual suspects," as always, have not offered any solutions to the problems we face as a community. This group is willing to accept an ambulance that is not always available, class size of 30 to 40 kids, and a police force and fire department unable to meets the needs of the current national situation. "No", by itself, is not a solution!
Support for a strong and forward-looking Reading is building. The positive votes on the schools last month and the final go ahead for the redevelopment of the landfill has our community pointed in the right direction.
Please help make our community, the Town of Reading, a source of pride for all of us.
Sincerely,
Matthew Wilson
Chair, Reading Pride
P.S. If you have any questions about the project or the campaign please contact me at 781-942-7544 or log on to our web site at www.readingpride.org.
A direct mailing of this letter was
Paid for by Reading Pride, 24 Smith Avenue, Reading, MA 01867