The Chamber of Commerce says that the dual-tax rate is stagnating Worcester’s commercial growth. Not true. What’s undermining Worcester’s commercial and residential tax base isn’t the dual tax rate, it’s the growing poverty rate. Jordan Marsh (Macy’s), Filene’s and Sears didn’t leave Worcester because of taxes. They left because of the growing poverty population, and because they couldn’t get customers to come to Worcester. And now, Diamond Chevrolet is following Sears to Auburn. Why? Customers!
Worcester’s galleria had the best stores in New England, yet couldn’t get enough customers. Many suburbanites and even Worcesterites would shop the Auburn Mall, and malls to the east of Worcester to avoid dealing with the poverty people downtown. Worcester lost its entire retail center to surrounding towns, and the Chamber of Commerce said nothing.
Under Judeo-Christian law, we are mandated to help the poor, but we aren’t mandated to destroy Worcester with poverty housing, which is driving out our upper-income residents to the suburbs. Upscale retail and other industries will follow the upper-income to the suburbs.
I’m disgusted with the Chamber of Commerce because it refuses to speak the truth. The truth is, to expand the tax base we must do three things.
- First, initiate a moratorium on the production of low-income rental housing.
- Second, upgrade the entire inner-city, starting with downtown.
- Third, get rid of the Chamber of Commerce that has done nothing for Worcester, and bring on the Worcester City Chamber of Commerce that will represent Worcester exclusively apart from the towns.
RICHARD L. CHERNISKY Worcester
12 comments:
AMEN to that. I think this is his 5th letter in 2009 and I had always thought T&G limit was 4 per year???
Typically in years past he was published ABOUT Febr, May, AUG & NOV......oddly enough coinciding with property tax bill time.
Again has anyone looked theri soon to arrive Ferb 1st worc property bills on the city website........i think there is going to be a huge outcry from mnay people......esp. teh dimwits who think b/c their assessmetn goes down their property taxes should go down
Me Cherniusky calls Worc's growing demographic PP's (Poverty Peopel) vs Paulies famous term PP's (Pajama People).......stick the letter "i" in the middle and you have PIP...the famous character in Great Expectations.......
Worcester's poverty level is 17.9% vs. 29.1% in Providence. Overall city populations are almost identical.
How is it that they have a robust retail core and we don't? Methinks the 2-tier tax system in Worcester has lots to do with this.
Providence is a capitol city, David. The idea that we can/should compare Providence to Worcester is a canard. Providence should be compared to Boston in terms of economic development, employment and demographics.
For the sake of fairness Worcester should be compared to Warwick, and I'm sure we can agree there is no comparison there.
dAVID, I DONT THNK THE DUAL PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM is deal breaker in and of itself. Certainly a negative. Certainly disciminatory toward business and patently unfair and sens the wrong message. Could anyone imagine if the residential rate was twice the business rate. Think about it really.
Property taxes as a business expense line item are typically very small UNLESS your business is real estate.
Frankly I am amazed that UNUM even stayed In Mass. at all given the employee expense structure in Mass. say vs. in Tennessee....their headquarters(?)
David, also note that Prov has a downtwon Mall (Providence place) and most retail siting experts will tell you that downtown malls in mid sized cities typically but not always will not work nowadays.......witness Worc Center...Fashion outlets...etc. Prov is clearly an exception
That being said please keep in mind that Providence :
1. is a capitol city,
2. is a seaport
3. has fantastic highway network that traverses the center city
4. and most importantly per Moe Vaughn has the Foxy Lady (and others?)
Did Buddy Cianci (Mayor Cigarette Torture) have anything to do with Prov re birth I say NO!!!!!! Private business owns Prov place last I knew.
Also note that oddly enough Prov is surrounded by suburban Malls...Smithfield....North Paddleboro.....Warwick.....and others i cannot recall right now.
Happy NY two awl and too all a gud knight....sleeep soundly & well over there at Park & May [g]
Brendan/Jahn,
You both hit the nail on the head.
However many on this board have opined in the past, "Why can't we be more like Providence?" or “Why can’t we be more like Somerville?”
We shouldn't be compared to either because Providence is the capital city which gives them a distinct advantage over Worcester and Somerville’s proximity to Cambridge and Boston is a tremendous advantage for them.
And because so many of those who post on this blog, use Providence and Somerville as examples, I used both of them (and Springfield)in my city comparison in my guest blog entry.
Gentlemen,
The argument that you are having about the problem with Worcester being the dual tax rate or the ever expanding "entitlement" crowd is flawed.
Both sides are correct, and both sides are wrong. These factors are two major components of the perfect storm of plagues that sicken Worecester.
The entitled people will continue to flock to cities such as Worcester as long as our government makes it easy for them to live here. Ray Mariano himself cited the fact in the T&G this week that Great Brook Valley has third and fourth generation welfare recipients living there. Why wouldn't they? It is easier to suckle off the teet of society than it is to get out. WE MAKE IT EASY!
The dual tax rate is a vain attemt to prevent homeowners from moving out. Newsflash... it is cheaper to live in a surrounding town. I know this first hand.
I moved my business out of town years ago as well, and have enjoyed cost savings as well.
I love Worcester, but realized many years ago that I was not going to change city hall or our society, and was sick of suffering the consequences of high taxes, high insurance costs, and being over-run by transients who do not give a rats-ass about the community. I am still in the city daily to work, dine, and support local business...but I just had to get out.
But Joe, please come back. Raybo now has the Worc Housing Authority engaged in the sex education business aimed specifically at the problem you cite...3rd & 4th generation welfare families hunkered down in inexpensive or almost free free housing.
Surely this will solve the problem...!!!!!!.just like all the other sex education offered in urban environs. Goollllly gee there Gomer......they even have hands on experience installing condums.
Am I the only one who thinks the Worc Housing Authority has too much money on their hands and is way outside their policies and mission. Too bad the WHA board of directors was practically handed picked by you know who....
also remember How many cities can say that Mcdonald's Burger King and Friendly's pulled out of down town?? Ford left and now Chevy...
also remember How many cities can say that Mcdonald's Burger King and Friendly's pulled out of down town?? Ford left and now Chevy...Best Buy soon to follow.... remember most business leases are triple net... which means their rent goes up to cover increase in real estate taxes...never mind insurance and security... I go into best buy in greendale and they have a guy up on a ladder watching the store... only best buy i have ever seen this..has to be very costly to them
Hey I just drove by the Old Canada Dry Plant off Rte 9 In Shrewsbury. They got a big billboard up there that says: Worc 2010 Pre Wash. B-Day Auto Show DCU centre Jan. 29 30 & 31.
I had to chuckle to myself. At least we still have the Annual Car Show. I think if there was a Mertowest venue for car shows it would be there.
I was thinking, are Harr & Gallo the only New car dealerships left in Worcester and I wonder to myself if Worc is the only city of 175,000 people w/o a Chevy dealership. 25 years ago Worc. had 2 chevy dealerships. Now none. I can see losing one of them as just a sign of the time sthese last 20 -25 years with foreign compettion and all.......but both of them..........plus as signman says no more Ford dealer in Worc. either. I wonder what fewer car dealers in Worc portends for billboard companies? MAybe more billboards paid for w/Stimulus dollars advertising the availablity of Food Stamps.
And Washington just bought anotehr piece of GMAC for $3.8B.
Happy New year
Resolutions anyone??????
I can't even begin to tell you how much I agree with your comments. I would love to open a store in downtown Worcester and start to breath some retail back into the city, but until the downtown area turns around.....I can't. It is full of homeless and vagrants who are bringing this once beautiful city down to a disgraceful level. I am all for a mix of people and classes,but there has to be happy medium here.
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