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eminent. No matter what happens, we all have to live here. ”
Reinhardt Lynch
Mr. Lynch is seeking his first term as an elected member of the council. He was appointed to fill a vacancy last year after serving on the Planning Commission for a year.
He prefaced his remarks by noting that his position as both a council member and one of the Inn’s owners, with several applications pending before the council, makes it impossible for him to comment on issues directly affecting the Inn.
Mr. Lynch said that he hopes the town’s residents will become more aware of the amount of money now available to the town, and take more of an interest in how it is spent.
Four years ago, he noted, the town budget was about $15,000. Now, he said, it is nearly $100,000, boosted by about $65,000 each year from the 21/2 percent food and lodging tax. Though the exact figures are confidential, the Inn contributes the bulk of that revenue.
don’t think that the people realize how much money the town has now... I want to see a conservative use of this money. We have to be very careful about how it is spent, and what it is spent for. It is a tremendous responsibility to administer that money.”
He suggested that the town’s residents should look at it as a savings of $700 to $800 per household — the amount of property tax each homeowner would pay to raise an equivalent amount of money. “If you had to write a check each year, think of how it should be spent. What would you do for the further benefit of the community?” he asked.
“They should think of it as tax money — public money — regardless of where it comes from. The council is the trustee of that money, to spend it in the public interest.”
With his business experience, Mr. Lynch continued, he knows that budgets must be watched continually. “It’s a constant process, watching where the money goes, and how it is spent. I hope that people become more concerned and aware of that in the future.”
Of his service on the present council, Mr. Lynch had praise for the other members. “They have taken politics and government in town in a new direction, a good direction. People feel better, and are more interested - as evidenced by their attendance at meetings, and their participation. ”
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