by Fred Leonard

The Rochester tax and spending cap petition committee has successfully exceeded their goal of collecting 796 signatures to help get the charter change amendment on the November 4, 2008 ballot. With over 1,700 signatures collected, the taxpayers of Rochester have sent the message that it is now time to finally make fiscal responsibility important again.

The petition signatures were handed in to the Rochester City Clerk this morning by Cliff Newton, Tax and Spending Cap Committee Spokesperson, Tammy Simmons, New Hampshire Advantage Spokesperson, Tom Kaczynski, Tax and Spending Cap Committee and co-chair of the RCTA, Suzanne Hudson, Tax and Spending Cap Petition Committee. At their side were several petition signature collectors and Rochester taxpayers.

Mr. Newton praised the hard work of many people involved by saying “This would not have been possible without the help of the many good citizens of Rochester who worked to collect signatures, the Rochester Concerned Taxpayers Association and the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition, which was instrumental in getting the process started, gave us the tool for change, and then provided strong support and motivation until the job was done.” He went on to say that “by collecting more than twice the signatures needed their voice is strong and will be heard.”

The RCTA would like to thank the tremendous work of the petition committee. We especially want to thank Cliff Newton and the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition for helping the good people of Rochester to take the next important step toward bringing change to the way Rochester government looks at the taxpayer. Equally important to collecting more than double the necessary signatures, were the many RCTA members and other committed Rochester taxpayers. The job these folks did was nothing short of spectacular.

According to Fred Leonard, co-chair of the RCTA, “In the weeks to come before the election on November 4th, the Rochester Concerned Taxpayers Association will engage in a public education campaign that will help the voters of Rochester understand why the tax and spending cap is necessary and how it will work.”

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