Here Comes the Board of Finance

On Wednesday evening, the BOF will start its Budget deliberations.

The Charter changes provide that this will be this Board's one and only shot. If the Budget fails, it will go back to the Town Council, not the BOF as it did in the past.

What is the BOF likely to do?

After the resignation of Michel Gutman, the BOF is now comprised of 3 Dems and 3 Republicans. The former are Gayle Alexander, Frank Wargo and Shelly Pruss. The latter, Larry Tripp, Chairman Bob Sherry and Mark Vendetti.

Gayle Alexander was and may still be a substitute teacher and rumor has it that his wife has applied for a BOE job. Frank and Shelly are very pro-ed. Larry Tripp is a retired teacher. In years past, Bob Sherry has put money back in the BOE budget and Mark Vendetti is a conservative. Put all of this in the mix and what do you get? A big chance that, by majority vote, the BOF will put money back for the BOE by taking more out from undesignated. There's a very slim chance that there'll be a 3-3 tie in which event Section 705 of the Charter provides that the Budget sent to the Board by the Council will be the Budget that is sent to the voters.