Election 2009: Malumphy Passing Out Baseball IOUs
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — As reported in a front-page story* in The Berkshire Eagle on Saturday, Sept. 12, the owners of the American Defenders baseball team still owe all fees and payments for the use of Wahconah Park estimated to be $35,000.Mayor Ruberto's response: he is confident that the monies will be received and that the ebb and flow of business can sometimes challenge cash flow.
Malumphy's team released the following response: "We as taxpayers often have cash-flow issues, but do we stop paying our water bill, do we stop paying our property taxes? One would think if the owners of the Defenders can pay at their leisure, why can't every taxpayer in Pittsfield?"
Therefore, Malumphy will be at the steps of Pittsfield City Hall on Monday, Sept. 14, at 8:30 a.m. with a basket of baseballs. Any participant can write "IOU" [fill in the amount of your property tax bill] and then return the ball so it can be delivered to the mayor's office later in the morning.
Candidate Malumphy also added, "There have been so many flagrant misuses of public monies used on a park which rests in a flood plain and yet none of those monies, which were designated to mitigate drainage issues, were used for that purpose. In the end, over three-quarters of a million dollars of taxpayer money was used to significantly upgrade a most-beloved park, but a park that was under water all summer and will only continue to be flooded in the years to come."
Submitted by the Campaign to Elect Pam Malumphy
*This link is only available for 10 to 14 days.
