When voting on Question 1, all I can say is vote your conscience and beliefs.

When voting on lowering the excise tax, please ask yourself what kind of road maintenance do we get for our excise dollars? A perennial waste of money grading our gravel roads, which comprise 80 percent of Somerville's roads. And in mud season? When everyone complains, they throw some poor quality gravel on just those spots.

Ads say reducing the excise tax will raise your property taxes, well, so what? At least we can deduct it on our income tax filings and add it on to our valuations as our homes appreciate.

All I see is our excise taxes cannot be used on 100 percent of road maintenance. Could the town be robbing from Peter to pay Paul or supporting other stealth things?

Frank Slason

Somerville