Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 15:35:24 -0400
From: Rita Marley-McKenzie
Subject: Concerns and Clarifications
Let me begin by saying-this is not a “For” or “Against” post. I just have a couple of concerns / clarifications I felt needed to be brought to the attention of the chatlist.
I, too, received not one, but FOUR of the same glossy flyers in the mail trying to get me to vote no on the LTT. I looked at the fine print at the bottom, and it says it was paid for by the Chatham Coalition for Homeownership. Who is this group? I had never heard of them before. I googled them today, and their website loops through three pages with no names of officers or a physical address. I then looked at some of the other “hits” and found an article on the Chatham Journal site that stated, “The Chatham County Coalition For Homeownership, a grassroots referendum committee formed for the purpose of defeating the measure on the November 6th ballot”. As you read down the article, it lists Chatham County residents and their city of residence who are opposed to the LTT. For all of those people listed in that article-did you give your permission for this group to publicize your name and city of residence for the entire WORLD to read? Here’s the website to the article:
http://www.chathamjournal.com/weekly/news/politics/citizens-against-land-transfer-tax-71029.shtml
I was offended by comments in a previous post (#2952 — #7) about the county wasting money on non-profits, new positions, mediation centers, and other “needed services”. I, for one, have worked in all of these categories in Chatham County. I have worked in prevention and intervention programs with children and juveniles to alleviate juvenile crime in Chatham County; I have worked with Chatham citizens seeking gainful employment by helping them fill out applications, write resumes, and teaching them interviewing skills; I have worked with Chatham residents transitioning off welfare and entering the workforce in their struggles to become self-sufficient; I have taught
anger-management and communication skills to Chathamites and trained peer mediators in our schools; I work with Chatham youth transitioning into adulthood helping them with independent living skills, encouraging them to further their education and reducing the number of obstacles they face.among many other wasteful endeavors. I have worked long, non-traditional hours in all of these jobs for microscopic pay and little to no benefits, because I love Chatham County and want to see it prosper. Where would this county be without non-profits like Deep River Mediation, Chatham County Together!, FVRCS, The Salvation Army, Chatham Transit, CORA, etc. Think about it. You tell me how wasteful it is for your neighbors and their children who use those “needed services”.
Next time, do some research and check the statistics before posting. Non-profits SAVE the county money by offering prevention, intervention, and supportive programs and halting the cycle of abuse, criminal behavior, poverty, unemployment, etc. all for a fraction of what it would cost for the county to administer those programs on its own. Many of you drive cars that cost more than non-profit employees (and directors) make in a year. What the county provides to those agencies is a tiny portion of their overall budget.
In order for them to receive money from outside funders (grants), the county must “match” a portion. So, the tiny amount of funds the county gives to non-profits actually generates money for Chatham County, and thus, saves enormous amounts of money for the county.