Letter: In Support Of Chris Haley For Select Board

READING, MA — The following letter to the editor was submitted by Parris Wellman.

To the Editor:

I am writing today to support Chris Haley in his candidacy for Reading Select Board. I know Chris to be a great neighbor, good friend and caring father. I know him to be straightforward and honest, and pragmatic in his approach. He cares deeply for his family and his community. And like the rest of us, he wants to see a better life for his kids.

I believe that the key to preparing our children to make their way in the world is a strong public education system. We all know it takes money to make that happen and in Reading that money comes primarily from property taxes which we have seen increasing dramatically in recent years. Much as we need the revenues to fund our schools we don’t want our property taxes to increase beyond the ability of our fellow residents, especially seniors on fixed incomes, to afford them.

The clear way to enable growth in revenues without increasing the burden on home owners is to encourage businesses, especially small business who are invested in the community, to come to Reading. This commercial real estate will generate the revenues without increasing the burden on our residents. And it does this without creating additional burden on the school system because businesses don’t bring more children to town.

With the goal of encouraging small businesses to come to town, I ask who is the best choice to help make this happen? The clear answer, a small business owner who has successfully navigated the uncharted waters of doing business during a pandemic. A small business owner who lives and works in Reading and who is deeply invested in our community. The clear choice is Chris Haley for Select Board.

Yours truly,

Parris Wellman

Pearl Street