Mayoral candidate and Ward 2 Councilwoman Linda Kuiper has apologized for a claim she made at the recent candidate forum that the town never collected water and sewer fees of $3.6 million for the Coventry Farms development.
“At the October 29 candidate forum sponsored by the Downtown Chestertown Association, I made a statement that I have subsequently learned was not accurate,” Kuiper said in a statement that was emailed to fellow council members and Town Manager Bill Ingersoll. “Based upon information I was told, I stated that the Town had not charged water and sewer hookup fees when Coventry Farms was developed. Based upon that erroneous information, I calculated the Town would have forgone over $3 million that could have been used for capital improvements. I should have verified the information I received with staff in Town Hall before citing it in a public forum. I offer an apology to the DCA, members of the public and individuals who heard my misstatement through a rebroadcast of the forum via streaming media.”
Michael Troup says
Editor,
I’m concerned that local politicians are not on top of this matter. When the expansion of the County W&S in Galena was discussed, it was said that there were no developments in the County that were picking up the tab for tapping the public’s water keg. Now this has bled into the municipal realm. I can assure you that the charge for the W&S hook-up is quite real, and a nice lady in Ellicott City posts my check to the account each year.
I also believe that the statement is quite damaging to the folks of the neighborhood. Will the people who heard the original answer get wind of the correction? Or will the folks who asked that question at the forum tell all their neighbors about the 135 families on the upper end of 514 getting a “free ride”?