How many of these 900 “residents” are occupants of the newly constructed Village at Wintergreen development or other workforce housing rentals — aka non-real-estate-tax-paying, non-equity-stakeholders, can-leave-the-town-at-any-time residents. Do they comprise 10% or 50% to 80% of Keystone voters? In other words, how many of the voters are actually community stakeholders, both fiscally and in terms of time-based fidelity. Conversely, how many stakeholders — aka tax-paying, long-term, but second-home owning residents — are disenfranchised from this vote?  Let’s be open and honest about the numbers.

I empathize with residents’ U.S. Highway 6 safety concerns. Do Mrs. Thisted and Mr. Riley plan on posting a 25 mph sign through the Keystone portion of Highway 6? How will that work out? Highway 6 section is an embarrassingly dangerous mess, riddled with potholes and a lack of visible lines. It’s a failure of our government. Is the incorporation of Keystone the only panacea?

What happens when (not if) we are faced with multimillion-dollar frivolous lawsuits — when a drunk/mushroom-delirious/mentally-ill aggressor is subdued by the police or the fired town employee all claiming that their civil rights were violated?

The discrepancy in the estimation of money Keystone will receive is a red flag. If Keystone tax revenue has been disproportionately underwriting the expenditures of other towns, do you honestly think that our neighbors will turn those funds over to us? Benevolence? Don’t kid yourselves. 

I’m all for democracy. I just expect (dare I say, demand) that those who vote, do it with a sense of responsibility, and accountability. As we see in the news, regional bank managers (read: shareholding, profit seekers) can commit fiscal malfeasance, and get a bailout. I doubt The Fed would do the same for an over-budgeted Town of Keystone.