When we vote for City Council members, we are selecting people who are tasked with making hard decisions about how Belfast's resources are spent. For me, one of the most important qualifications is experience with public budgets. That is why I support Caitlin Hills for Belfast City Council.

While serving as Chairwoman of the RSU 71 School Board, Caitlin did the difficult work of balancing priorities, understanding financial constraints, and being accountable to taxpayers, as every school budget had to be approved by our community.

i appreciate that Caitlin's approach to budgets is her understanding that budgets  are about people-what they want and what they need. Every dollar represents a choice: what services will Belfast provide, what investments will Belfast make, and what costs are Belfast citizens being asked to bear.

Municipal government budgets are different than school district budgets, but the skills to handle them are the same. I want someone who understands a complicated budget, who asks the tough questions, who listens to the public, and who stands accountable for the choices she makes. That person is Caitlin Hills.

Steve Groening lives in Belfast