Woodstock Republican Party Platform in 2009

MISSION:  The mission of the WRTC is to incorporate the objectives of our platform into an efficient, transparent, and accountable government that serves the town of Woodstock with honesty, pragmatism, and a spirit of cooperation, and that seeks to unite all townspeople with a clear vision for creating a healthy, safe, and prosperous community.

     Our platform values are organized into four areas which provide a comprehensive approach towards meeting our mission. These areas include Leadership, Fiscal Responsibility, Education, and Environment.   It is our belief that these values will be upheld with pride and courage by our members and our endorsed candidates.  It is our hope that they will guide us and protect the community with a consistent conservative perspective during times of earned prosperity and  in times of economic hardship. 

Leadership:

1-      Our leaders will uphold and defend the values of the WRTC platform

2-      Our leaders will implement policies and practices in a manner that is fair.

3-      Our leaders will be open to the ideas of all community members regardless of  party affiliation.

4-      Our leaders will communicate with the community on a regular basis with honesty and transparency.

5-      Our leaders will encourage, recruit, and endorse the participation of all citizens in their government.

6-      Our leaders will uphold the Town of Woodstock’s Code of Ethics.

7-      Our leaders will enhance and encourage coordination and communication between all boards, town employees, and citizen committees so as to unify and to promote a common vision in a productive and efficient manner.

Fiscal Responsibility

1-      Advocate always for the taxpayer by seeking to minimize their individual tax burden. 

2-      Spend only what is necessary to efficiently provide essential services and maintain the infrastructure required by the town’s citizens so as to avoid more costly outlays in the long term.

3-      Oppose the imposition of unfunded state mandates.

4-      Encourage and promote spending measures that are fully transparent, incorporate fair bidding practices, and rely on sound accounting principles.

5-      Support an open and thorough budgeting process which clearly identifies need, cost, and benefits of various town services.

6-      Encourage creativity and civic enthusiasm in developing strategies that maximize efficiency and minimize waste.

Education

1-         Support an ongoing commitment toward providing our schools with the resources needed to ensure that our children receive an education that not only prepares them for being life long learners, but sustains them towards achieving  a competitive edge in the workplace and in the world.

2-     Recognize that education is a right, a responsibility, and an         

         investment for a child and the entire community.

3-     Promote a sense of pride in our schools and our students by

        advocating for and supporting their drive to achieve a personal best

        in academics, athletics, and the fine arts.

4-        Advocate for a fair balance of funding between the town and the 

        education budgets.

5-        Approach spending issues with the recognition that more money does

        not necessarily result in better quality, but be prepared to spend to

        the extent necessary to ensure a high quality education.

6-        Support common sense reforms to the state’s binding arbitration

        laws, while rewarding superior teacher performance.

7-        Strengthen communication and coordination between Woodstock

        Public Schools, the Woodstock Academy, and the community at

        large.

Environment

1-      Respect the property rights of individuals and support their responsibility for land stewardship, their respect for the rights of others, and in their preservation of the town’s rural character.

2-      Support well-conceived open space initiatives, subdivision/zoning regulations, and economic development opportunities with an active consideration for their fiscal impact and on the long term vision for Woodstock.

3-      Support a town Plan of Conservation and Development that serves as a proactive means to responsibly guide growth.

4-      Protect our local agricultural industries and farmlands through supporting fiscally responsible policies and local ordinances that help meet their needs.

5-      Promote the preservation of our natural resources by supporting cost effective solutions that lessen the negative impact we have on the environment and  take into consideration the rural character of Woodstock.

Revised 2009