My July 1 tax bills arrived in the mail last week, and already I could hear folks in town grousing. Enough with the whiners and moaners! I, for one, am happy to pay my taxes.
Every time I drive past that’s being built, or see patrolling on the Post Road, or even see one of those “Your Speed Is…” radar boxes, I’m happy to pay my taxes.
When I take out-of-town visitors on a drive through town, showing off our beautiful , the playgrounds, the parks, the ball fields, and the tennis and paddle courts, I’m happy to pay my taxes.
Last winter, and — even when a snow plow demolished our road-side mailbox, only to have the replace it with a new one in a matter of days — I’m happy to pay my taxes.
When I see the hundreds of selfless volunteers who serve at and our march , I have a John Boehner moment, getting a little "misty" because I am so proud to live in a town where service and volunteerism are more than lip-service and yes, I’m happy to pay my taxes.
When I attend a play at , tune in to a assembly on Blue Wave TV, or stroll the halls at after voting, I’m so happy to pay my taxes.
When I attend a , drop by for lunch at the , or drool over the architect’s rendering , I think of all the ways that town government touches my life — and boy, I’m happy to pay my taxes.
When I think of citizen volunteers like Peter Hillman () and Kim Westcott (as many years on the ) and remember the thousands of hours they have donated to make Darien a better town, I’m more than happy to pay my taxes.
When I see innovations like the , the , or — delayed as they may be — I’m happy to pay my taxes.
When I watch meetings on — whether the , the , or the populist RTM — I am grateful that our little town’s government is so participatory, transparent, and democratic. That any citizen’s voice can be heard makes me happy to pay my taxes.
I could go on and on, but you get the point. We get so much bang for our buck in Darien that I'm happy to have called this town my home for the past twenty years.
And I’m happy to pay my taxes.
