Town officials quickly called a press conference Monday afternoon, a day before Town Meeting, to respond to a mass mailing that went out over the weekend criticizing Westport’s “spending problem.”
The mailing, a two-sided postcard from the Westport Taxpayers Association, says the town gives too generously to its employees, even at the expense of public safety services, and library and senior center funding.
“What Westport (has) is a spending problem, not a revenue problem,” it says.
Selectmen, along with school, police and fire officials, called the postcard a cowardly, last-minute attempt to mislead voters into rejecting the proposed $29.8 million budget.
“There were more lies and mistruths than anything else,” said Detective Jeff Majewksi, the head of the police union, urging whoever wrote the mailing to come forward and debate the budget in public. “It’s nothing but lies.”
Selectman Craig Dutra, who announced the press conference Sunday evening, called the mailing a “cowardly, spineless act” [...]

Original post by Grant Welker