Skyscrapers and affordable housing

Dear Editor:

Ah, Mayor Milan, what a triumphant declaration! One could almost hear the trumpets blaring as you proudly announced the town’s new AAA rating—a feat, according to you, unmatched in the annals of municipal governance. But before we shower you with laurels, let’s take a moment to pull back the curtain and see what’s really behind this theatrical performance.

Not long ago—if memory serves, though it seems to fade at the most convenient times—you and your esteemed Team Metropolis (Milan, Stought, Gardner, and Dean) took to the newspaper, warning the voters of Purcellville that the town was under the watchful eye of Fitch Ratings. 

The reason? According to you, the previous Town Council didn’t raise rates high enough to meet your lofty standards. But how quickly things change. Now, here you stand, flaunting this AAA rating as if it were a golden fleece, claiming it as a direct result of the 16% and 18% rate hikes you so graciously imposed on our weary taxpayers.

But let’s pause and consider the reality behind your “achievement.” This AAA rating didn’t simply materialize because you decided to burden Purcellville’s residents and businesses with double-digit rate increases. 

No, this rating is the result of years of careful stewardship and a gradual improvement in our debt profile—a process that began long before you took it upon yourself to raise rates. The inconvenient truth for your narrative is that this credit rating reflects the resilience and sound fiscal management of our town over time, not the sudden stroke of rate hikes in your latest fiscal plan. During my tenure as Mayor, we managed to reduce the overall debt, which we inherited, by over $9 million without resorting to massive new debt.

And what does this newfound AAA rating really signify in your hands, Mayor Milan? It’s not just a badge of honor; it’s a license—perhaps even an invitation—to plunge the town into a sea of debt under the grandiose banner of annexation. Will you now leverage this rating to go on a borrowing spree, chasing dreams of expansion that could stretch our town’s resources—and our taxpayers’ patience—beyond the breaking point?

So while you may bask in the glow of this AAA rating, let’s not be blinded by its shine. The people of Purcellville deserve to know what you truly intend to do with this newfound financial credibility. Will you continue to burden them with higher costs, or will you finally reveal the real price of your ambitions? The citizens of Purcellville deserve more than a victory lap; they deserve transparency and honesty about what lies ahead.

Kwasi Fraser

Purcellville