CambridgeToday received the following letter about the Fashion History Museum.

I am writing on behalf of the Property Taxpayers Alliance to applaud council’s decision to end the misuse of property taxpayer dollars subsidizing the Hespeler Fashion History Museum.

The pouring of our hard-earned property tax dollars into sinkholes such as this needs to stop. There is a reason why they are so far behind in rent. There is very little interest. And any interest there may be is declining each year. As we understand it, the operators of the Fashion Museum live in the building essentially rent free. They claim they have 12,000 to 15,000 visitors a year. Yet we almost never see anyone go into the building. And if they had this kind of following yearly, surely they’d be able to pay their rent. People who write letters saying they are “horrified” or “appalled” or that the decision is “incomprehensible” or “inexcusable” love to spend everybody else’s money, but not their own. They don’t care about the poor shmuck struggling to pay property taxes rising two to three times faster than his income each year to subsidize this and other such Cambridge sink holes. Some of our residents are going into default on property taxes. Lets take care of these people first. Congratulations council on a job well done. Enough is Enough.

John Waylett
Chair & CEO
Property Taxpayers Alliance
Cambridge