Emergency Services

by Jay Allen

Among the disappointing things in this campaign has been the assault by my opponent on Fitchburg's emergency services.  In two different forums, my opponent has suggested that we will be cutting police officers and firefighters.  My friends, I am promising you that, if I am elected mayor, we will NOT cut these critical services.  These are the most basic services that a municipality provides, and in my nearly 20 years in leadership in this city, I have a long track record of preserving and improving these services.

We can play politics with a lot of things, but I think it is egregious to play these games with our basic emergency services.  In fact, his desire to play these political games with our emergency services is not new.  During the 2010 budget debate, he presented an amendment that would have meant the loss of three police officers and one firefighter.  Despite being told this by the police chief and fire chief, he plowed forward anyway.  Fortunately, the Council voted that proposal down.  I am the only candidate for mayor who has promised that we will not cut police or fire service in the City of Fitchburg.