This Just In...

Not much reason to vote for Basil then!

Fred has been consistently trying to work with Basil Ryan, as he did with Mayor Taylor, on a pledge.

Maybe this development will speed up those talks.

Too bad the Mayor didn't sign a pledge last year. The damage is already done. When will the Mayor & Common Council realize that they don't have a blank check on spending. This city is out of control with its spending and taxes!

I agree, Paul. We certainly put pressure on the city during last year's budget talks. Previous tax levy increases were unacceptable, well above the rate of inflation.

But hopefully we can do something about future budgets.

UPDATE @ 6:38 PM TONIGHT:

Basil Ryan contacted me that he is having trouble connecting with Fred Keller. Ryan writes:

Kevin,

Please consider this email my official signing of such a pledge.

I hearby official certify to you, Kevin Fischer, that I agree to all of the terms of the Fred Keller pledge. And you can take that to the bank.

I will continue trying to reach Fred, but I want it on the record, that I have now officially agreed to/signed onto the pledge.

Also, I would note for the record that Mayor Taylor's signing of the pledge is too little, too late. As you noted in your blog, every year Taylor has been in office, the tax levy has risen above the parameters of the pledge.

I don't need an election to promise to keep taxes under 3%. I will do so every year I am in office.

Thank you

Basil Ryan

I have informed Ryan that this isn't good enough. The pledge must be signed.

I am confident Ryan and Keller will make the necessary arrangements very soon to get the pledge signed.

I agree with Paul McKenna on this one.  Where was this pledge earlier?  While I applaud the current efforts, it seems a bit contrived on the eve of the next election.  

There's no question the pledge came late in the campaign.

However, what's important is that BOTH candidates are now on record that they will not submit or approve a budget that imposes a tax levy greater than the rate of inflation. It was critical to get those pledges cemented before the election, and Fred Keller did.

Last year, for months, I put the pressure on the School Board and the city to tow the line on over-taxation and spending.  I wrote blog after blog, literally begging people to contact their representatives and tell them to hold the line.

Not enough people did, and the city and especially the School Board taxed like crazy.

So now we took the action we could at this juncture. This could help Franklin taxpayers down the road for the next few years.

Congratulations Mayor Taylor! Now remember your pledge on the property tax levy.

John Neville quotes Mayor Tom Taylor in his front-page article in FranklinNOW today: He acknowledged

As I post every Sunday, here are the top five most popular of my blog entries from the previous week

What happened in the past 2 weeks is commendable. A Franklin resident and blogger, Fred Keller has brought