One of the candidates for three Burlington City Council seats says it’s time to stop what he describes as out-of-control spending.
Kevin Long says he knows, first-hand, how important it is to stay within a budget as he has been a small business owner for years.
He says the reason he entered the race is because he is willing to say no when needed.
"It seems like the council that we have now just constantly forks out money, hand over fist," says Long. "There is no control on the spending."
Long points to the Burlington Public Library and the Manor Redevelopment Project as examples of out-of-control spending.
He says, if elected, he would push for more public safety employees and the elimination of the city manager position. In fact, he says several positions could be saved just by eliminating the city manager position.
"The only reason we have a city manager is because the city council cannot manage the finances," says Long.
Long says it should be up to the city council to crafte the city's budget and handle the day-to-day operations.
He believes the city council has put too much money into studying Cascade Bridge.
Long says the most important thing is that people are tired of their property tax bills increasing so dramatically.
He supports the idea of a joint law enforcement center, just on a piece of property the city already owns.
The top-six vote-getters will move from the Oct. 8 primary to the November general election.
