Time Will Tell
I received an email yesterday that was sent to my official city council email address. The email was also sent to each of the other council members. In this email, the writer made a complaint about the manner in which the snow was plowed on the residential streets after our most recent ice and snow storm. She felt that the snow was no longer being plowed as well as it was in the past, and she made the following observations and conclusions:
- East and west streets in the Norhwood/Highland area were not plowed
- The streets that were plowed were not plowed in a timely manner as in the past
- The city is restricting overtime for the DPW workers, resulting in the deficient plowing
- This decrease in plowing efficiency is somehow related to the recent resignation of the city manager
- That the current council is reducing city services as a result of their interest in studying the budget with an eye toward increased efficiency and a potential tax cut
As a result of this complaint, I contacted Interim City Manger John Hiller. He told me that there has been no change to manner or method in which the snow is plowed. He also told me there has been no change to the overtime practices of the DPW snow removal employees. I had no reason to believe any changes had been made, but thought it best to contact Mr. Hiller before replying to the homeowner about her complaints.
I assured the homeowner that neither the city administration nor the city council had authorized or made any changes to the way the snow is plowed.
The most recent snowfall was the worst possible combination of winter weather we ever have. First we had several inches of a soaking rain/snow mix which turned into a layer of slush. This was soon followed with six or eight inches of wet snow, and then by freezing temperatures which made the initial slush freeze in solid sheets below the snow. In my experience, this frozen ice layer is almost impossible to remove by light snow plows and may be the cause of some streets not being cleared to the pavement. My own street was in this condition, and that was after being plowed three times by city plows.
Politics Aside
I believe there is a small group of people still disgruntled about the results of the November 2006 election. This group is bent on causing difficulty and trying to undermine the efforts of the new council. Their efforts, however, are quite transparent.
In fact, this homeowner went so far as to complain about a situation on Highland Street in which the city is being sued over the refusal to allow a home developer to cut down a city tree in the greenbelt. She suggest that somehow this matter is the fault of the current council and that this is an example of the problems therein. What she forgets is that this matter was born during the last city manager’s reign, and is a direct result of action that he took several months before his resignation.
I only speak for myself, of course, but it is my observation that this council is taking their responsibility to represent the citizens very seriously. Questions are being asked that have never been sked before. The city budget is being scrutinized, city contractors are being studied and proposals for contracted services are being researched. All of this is taking place because the new council is interested in the best service at the best price.
Time Will Tell
People are always disappointed when their chosen candidates fail in their election attempts. This is understandable and is part of human nature. But most people don’t take this opportunity to try and undermine the efforts of the newly elected council members.
Time will tell if the efforts of the new council will be successful. I have every reason to believe that they will be. The group is bright, dedicated, hardworking, trustworthy and transparent. It’s hard to believe that these attributes will result in anything but success.