Lloyd Constantine

Report from Chatham, Australia (sort of)

The last Weekender column (Feb. 3) explained why Governor Cuomo’s proposed property tax cap would be disastrous for Chatham and the entire state. I promised to offer a superior solution for lowering property taxes, while funding public schools at appropriate levels. That solution will be explained in the next column. However, in the interim, a trip to Australia intervened and my editor agreed that it would be interesting to send back a column from Chatham, Australia exploring the differences and similarities of communities in two hemispheres and separated by more than 11,000 miles.  Read More 

Property tax cap: Be careful what you wish for

The last Weekender column advocated something rare these days, rooting for elected officials we dislike because our success depends on theirs. But hoping for and helping our electeds to succeed does not usually mean backing a misguided policy, such as new Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s call for, and prioritization of, a property tax cap.

If narrow short-term benefit predicted who the supporters of a property tax cap would be — weekenders, like myself, would surely rank among the proposal’s biggest champions. Second homeowners have paid rapidly escalating property taxes to support many vital services, foremost schools, which we never use or only modestly utilize. Certainly much less than year rounders.  Read More