CANDIDATE RESPONSES: Art Laske, Board of Finance

Art Laske, a Democrat, is running for a six-year seat on the Board of Finance. He currently is an alternate on the Board of Finance.

Name and explain two ways to improve the town’s finances.

Replace a Republican on the Board of Finance with a Democrat, thereby returning the balance and fairness of three Republican votes and three Democratic votes. This year’s budget process was unresponsive to the concerns of the entire community, particularly the interests of parents of school children, when the four majority Republican votes dictated the end result of the budget process without adequately considering the interests of the entire community. Or secondly, elect a 4-2 Democratic majority.

Do people want more services or lower taxes?

People want an honest budget that reflects the services that the town, its taxpayers and children deserve and want. The disservice of this year’s budget is that the Board of Finance refused to provide sufficient funds to provide extracurricular activities to Keller students, a needed service, therefore requiring those parents who wanted this “bonus” for their children to pay a supplemental tax through their donations for necessary school activities.

What makes me qualified for this position?

Ten years of service on the Board of Finance, an understanding of the needs of taxpayers with children in the Easton school system (I have four kids in our school system), and a commitment to respect the concerns of every taxpayer in our community.