NEWS: Former Williamsburg Mayor Questions Proposed Budget Priorities

Critique raises potential need for a ‘change in city management’

The Williamsburg Municipal Building. (Image: George Arbogust, Williamsburg Independent)

In a recent letter to the editor published in the Daily Press, former Williamsburg Mayor Clyde Haulman laid out a litany of perceived issues with the City’s spending priorities. Dr. Haulman served as Williamsburg’s mayor for six years, and a total of 16 years on the City Council. His term as Mayor ended in June 2016, when he decided not to seek reelection. Haulman, a longtime professor at the College of William and Mary, is listed by the school’s website as Professor Emeritus/Adjunct Lecturer of Economics.

According to Haulman’s letter, the City should consider several steps to increase their spending in critical services and decrease spending on what he indicates are unnecessary capital improvement projects. “In the city’s current budget discussions, maybe some thought could be given to reevaluating priorities. The city might consider a moratorium on new capital improvements — a roundabout, a splash…