Why I Am Running for Addison Town Council at 91!

I have lived a long time, but not nearly long enough. I have several reasons for running for the Addison Town Council. Overall there needs to be change in our spending.

First
My purpose is to be a Council voice for the interests of citizen and business owner taxpayers. We need to openly recognize that our challenging times are now affecting Addison. We need to lead in telling taxpayers we must work together with them in their interest to change our previous spending habits. I call for significant cost cutting now to get out ahead of developing financial problems. This is a realistic and positive message - It is not negative.

Among Addison Council Candidates I am unique — I have the maturity, wisdom and commercial real estate broker experience to see, understand and deal with the chaos of the depression we have now entered. My Council decisions will be motivated only by what is best for the citizens and business owners. I am not dependent on a real estate career.

Addison is no longer escaping worsening conditions. We must now take action to protect our citizen and business taxpayers from tax increases. I lived through all of the last depression. All is now not OK as it was in the past. Other council candidates embrace the status-quo. They believe they can react should that become necessary. That was OK in the past. What I see coming makes the status-quo, denial and reactive action dangerous. What is ahead of us promises to be worse than the last one — Which most, I clearly recall, also did not see coming. They continued to look in the rear-view mirror at good times behind them.

I was eleven years old in 1929, when the stock market crashed triggering an eventual worldwide economic collapse. Unfortunately too much time has passed and the country has forgotten what it’s like to wait until you can afford something before buying it. Americans and our governments have been too quick to pull out the credit card or go deep into debt. And now the bills are coming due.

Second
I am opposed to using Addison Reserve Funds to provide for revenue shortfalls and emergency cost increases that in my view are sure to result in the next two years. What are we going to do if our town’s reserves are depleted before the Depression begins to subside sometime after 2012? I know they always extend far longer than most imagine. That brings me to my next reason.

Third
I oppose using Addison Reserve Funds to provide for revenue shortfalls and cost increases that in my view are sure to come in the next two years. What are we going to do if our town’s reserves are depleted before the depression begins to subside sometime after 2012? I know they always extend far longer than most imagine. That brings me to my next reason for running.

Fourth
I commit to work with my Council associates, the Mayor and town management to develop new policy and actions for other emerging areas of probable problems, including:

  • Strengthening citizen and business property safety;
  • Lowering Addison’s debt and its interest charges;
  • Re-structuring the form of Addison’s Employee Pension Plan and its underfunding;
  • Solving Addison Airport problems that cannot be handled only by more promotion;
  • Finding some acceptable solution for Addison’s currently inadequate education for our children and their parents.

We will emerge from this depression a stronger and wiser Town, but first, different thought and actions are needed to survive in good condition. If town services reductions and employee compensation reductions are required, I commit to work to help the citizens, businesses and employees to reach openly discussed agreements on the reductions needed to save our town’s financial condition.


— Fan Benno-Caris

Contact Fan Benno-Caris by email to ask questions and talk about the issues Addison faces in the coming years.