Why do we attack those that stand up for what is the right thing?

Benjamin Franklin:
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.

When I read the article in the Day (http://www.theday.com/article/20130918/OP01/309189980/0/SEARCH) that spoke badly about Marie Friess-McSparran and her vote along with John Maynard against the Board of Education budget I was appalled. What Friess-McSparran and Maynard did was what each end every elected official should have done with respect to the money being budgeted. Shame on the five councilors that do not care what the money budgeted is actually spent on. The items questioned by Friess-McSparran are items not related to educating the children of New London taxpayers. The money that the council allocates to the education system is intended by the council and by every taxpayer to be spent on educating the children attending the schools. Yes a small amount of money was identified, but much of what the Board of Education does with their budgeted money is a closely held secret and it is easy to understand why.

Asking why money is spent on flowers, car repairs, dinner tickets, lunches out at local restaurants etc… is a reasonable and a concern that needs more in depth scrutiny by the City Council and Board of Education. The Board of Education representative stated that the flowers were for funerals, some contest that position, stating that some if not most of the flowers were for living school system employees and living Board of Education members. A cursory review of the documents on the school system website shows this to be a fact. A representative of the city school system lied to the City Council on the record. Five of the elected City Council members do not even care. What else with respect to school spending are the school system representatives or consenting City Council members being dishonest about or hiding.

We have in Friess-McSparran and Maynard two City Councilors who put integrity, honesty, transparency and the needs of the taxpayers above and beyond their personal goals of being elected to another term on the City Council. For this reason Friess-McSparran should be easily elected to another term as a voice for the people of New London and Maynard should be pushed and prodded until he reconsiders and decides to join the battle for a seat on the next City Council.