The incumbent council persons have failed in their duty to the residents. Don’t be fooled by their posturing for votes or their apparent concern for immediate results. They dropped the ball on this issue.

The issue surrounding the adverse impact the DPW operation is having on the residents of the North Hill subdivision has been topical for years. And years. And years. The current controversy over the possibility of moving the leaf composting component of the operation has become topical because of a recent push by the North Hill homeowners to have some resolution to their problem - after asking for help for years. With the election only three weeks away, to nobody’s surprise we are witnessing council members posturing, positioning and demanding quick action to resolve the problem.

Is the issue important? Yes. Do the decisions the council make have the potential to impact hundreds of residents? Yes! Is the current city council to blame for essentially refusing to address these concerns for years? Yes!

Is this Transparent Government?

Two weeks ago, the city council came within seconds of voting to move the leaf composting operation to the old Waste Water Treatment facility located on Letica Drive. Only the aggressive posture of the city manager, who demanded that the council authorize notifying the residents of The Bluffs subdivision about this potential change in the location of the composting operation, kept the council from voting on the issue. The current council was willing to proceed without ever notifiying those citizens who might be adversely impacted by their decision. Is that fair? Or is that underhanded? Only you can decide the answer to these questions.

It appears as though the council is changing direction once again. It now appears as though they will decide to spend approximately a quarter of a million dollars to have the composting operation moved off-site for this year. This expensive decision, which is quite certainly going to be made on very short notice and with little study, is certainly the result of posturing by the council majority just prior to the November election. This temporary solution may be seens as favorable by both the residents of North Hill and to the residents of The Bluffs. But it’s not the final solution.

The Incumbent City Council has Failed

I caution residents of both subdivisions to remember why this issue is at a crisis level in October of 2007. The reason hundreds of residents have been disrupted by this issue is because the current council members have neglected to address the issue, and they have neglected to properly oversee the city administration and see that the concerns of the taxpaying residents could be mitigated. The incumbent council persons have failed in their duty to the residents. Don’t be fooled by their posturing for votes or their apparent concern for immediate results. They dropped the ball on this issue.

It’s Time for a Change

It’s time for a change in the council. I would like to be part of that change. Please consider voting for me in the November 6th election. But regardless of who you vote for or who wins the election, keep the pressure on your city council to do the right thing and to put residents first, not their personal pet projects or the downtown business district.

This entry was posted Wednesday, October 10th, 2007 at 8:28 am and is filed under Campaigning, My Views. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.