To the Editor:
“Cut taxes – cut spending.”
This was the mission statement for my mayoral campaign. This is the mission statement of the 13,278 taxpayers that voted for me. This is the mission statement that those 13,278 good people have been talking about before, during, and after the 2016 election. The “cut taxes – cut spending” movement had an impact on our elected officials. They heard our message and rather than playing self-serving politics, they acted in the best interests of the taxpayer! You know. The people that “are paying the tab.”
I am very proud to be part of this growing movement. Together, we beat the critics to a pulp. They said, “It can’t be done.” They meant, “It takes too much effort to accomplish.” Our 2017 City Council took on the task. They refused to accept that “It takes too much effort to accomplish.” The critics spoke up but were squashed like the bugs that they are. Constructive-criticism is a welcome addition to finding the best solutions. But destructive-criticism doesn’t help the solution process. It just gets in the way of finding solutions.
Thank you to the 2017 City Council for succeeding in spite of the critics. You listened to the taxpayers. You put the taxpayers first. You respected all of the needs of all of the “tax-recipients,” but you put the needs of the “tax-payers” first. You took the time to analyze to budget, line item by line item. Your questions were respectful but pointed. You found ways to save the taxpayers’ money and still have a secure, stable budget. The City is being run with careful attention to detail, more than it has in the last 18 years. The money that used to be spent under the heading of “other” seems to have gone away, and where we needed to increase or decrease spending, the City Council was decisive. The comments I heard from many involved centered around the word “fair.” All credit goes to Joe, Joe, Steve, Steve, Ed, Tim, Jeremy, Rick and Donna.
As we move forward we should be aware of one basic economic principle. When we increase taxes we lose taxpayers to other communities that are lowering taxes. When we lose taxpayers, and we have lost 5,800 in the last ten years alone, we lose total tax revenue. When we “cut taxes” we actually increase total tax revenue because we increase the number of people that are paying them. We also increase jobs, which also increases total tax revenue even more. In the last ten years Warwick has lost 4,666 businesses and all the employees that went with those businesses. That’s millions of dollars of lost tax revenue that we can only now, begin to replace. In 2006 Florida Governor Charlie Crist raised taxes by $500,000,000 and Florida lost 832,000 jobs. In 2011, new Governor Rick Scott lowered taxes by $500,000,000 (same amount) and Florida increased jobs by over 600,000. That’s over 600,000 new taxpayers paying millions of new tax dollars.
Our solution to the economic problems we have here in Warwick can be solved if Warwick’s leaders decide to “cut taxes – cut spending.”
Finally, our City seems to be on the right track. Again, thank you 2017 City Council!
You have heard me refer to myself as “The Taxpayers Mayor.” I will now invite you to join me in referring to the City Council as “The Taxpayers City Council.”
Happy Summer, everyone.
Happy Summer, “The Taxpayers City Council”

Rick Corrente
Warwick