Most have heard of the saying of “taxation without representation” that originated from our Revolutionary War. After the Windham Town Council workshop of Dec. 15, I believe we have taxation with representation and that representation is not for the average taxpayer.

Maybe I had better switch parties so that I can vote for Bernie Sanders in the primary elections because then I can consider him the modern Robin Hood by taking money from businesses and the rich people and giving it to us common folk. To me that would be far better than taking money from the taxpayer and using it for corporate welfare. What’s even worse, that very thought came from the actions of Windham’s town manager and planning officer during that council workshop on a TIF for the Mallison Falls Mill project and I find that extremely upsetting.

After that meeting I received several telephone calls from some very unhappy taxpayers in Windham. I also received some the very next morning. I heard terms during those calls that included wealth redistribution, corporate welfare and slush fund for those in town government. Most questioned whether or not our town officials are even working for the citizens but rather developers who want to do something in Windham. Some wondered why those favored by town officials would get tax breaks while the property taxpayers don’t. I think all of us would want our outrageous property taxes reduced.

If anything could be worse, it would be the fact that Windham residents have so little time to react on any council or workshop meeting because for the most part the agendas don’t come out until sometime on Friday before the next Tuesday meeting. Whether that’s by design or the fact that those on the Town Council can’t plan in advance by at least two weeks is something that I don’t even dare to look into. I look at the incident when a town councilor moved out of the district he was elected for and stayed in his council seat. I have never seen that happen in any other town, county or state, which makes me wonder why Windham is so different. It does make me shudder to even think about it.

So back to the council workshop of 15 December where the town manager included a memo of his thoughts on why this project should be approved and why it was necessary for the town councilors to approve. The Windham planning officer did actually the same, which makes me believe that neither of them should be paid from tax dollars from Windham taxpayers and even more so since they support developers, that Windham should institute a new fee for developers that would pay their bloated salaries. That makes sense to me. It is more than obvious to me that those two are in favor of a TIF zone that all taxpayers of Windham, and Maine as well, will be paying for 30 years if that TIF is approved.

What’s even scarier about that meeting is that after the speeches in favor of the TIF by the developer and the town staff as well as the comments by the public, the agenda item was closed and those from the public left. They didn’t realize that after they left the town manager asked the town councilors about their consent for the TIF. Three answered and four other councilors didn’t. That shouldn’t have happened, which speaks volumes. Don’t try to blame the Town Council chair and vice-chair because that came from the town manager.

I hope Windham’s town councilors haven’t so soon forgotten that the voters turned down a bond of several million dollars for a new public works complex. If they give a $7 million dollar tax break to a for-profit company, they are out of touch with voters. Really way, way out of touch.

Lane Hiltunen of Windham believes that any tax increment financing plan must be approved by the voters.