Yes, let's have a switch in topics and typeface. Monday's night City Council meeting is toooooo important not to. Boy, does it feel good to have a new outlet to voice my little 'ole opinions, whether anyone cares or not.
Hopefully, Mr. Gahan and the others will sticks to their guns requiring more financial information and technical information before they proceed. As a person who has attended numerous meetings, I can already tell you what they will do (unless they regroup and figure something else out, before tomorrow night).
This may be one time the agenda being carried out in the wrong order against Council's very laws may work in the taxpayers' favor. The Council will be told by the public officials, when their time comes to speak, "please go ahead and just do the first reading", "we'll have the information you need by the next meeting" and if you don't -- well, you are going to ruin any "savings" we may received at the State meeting on August 8th. Mark my words, we have heard them OVER AND OVER AND OVER again.
Please Council, I beg of you. Let the investigation proceed that is underway and let taxpayers know what is going on before you jump on this sinking boat. I was under the impression Mr. Seabrook wasn't going to vote on ANYTHING because of legal advice. Mr. Blevins has promised ratepayers a NO vote. Mr. Gahan is leery of the financials, and well he should be. Mr. Kochert, well, I'm not really sure which way he's going to come down. He truly feels we need the monies, but he does understand we have some serious questions, before ANYTHING happens.
Unless they can tell me what happened with the monies, I really don't care how much they want, need, etc. The clock stopped ticking last August and the Plan failed. Pull in those surety bonds, whatever you have to do, but leave us -- the ratepayers alone. Some of us have done your jobs. Some of us have followed the monies, the meetings, played in the sewage, and had Federal Investigators enter our private dwellings because of the inaptitude of this Administration.
EMC is going to prove to be a moot point. Their contract runs until 2007, and we believe they have figured out what we have said all along is true -- this City entered into negotiations with the Federal government in bad faith. The documents submitted to the EPA were bogus, the Engineers weren't given all of the data to do the correct "modeling" for the Plan, and the monies were misapplied that were mandated by Council for inner-City sewer repairs (alias Appendix D of the Amended Consent Decree). Do you think EMC won't use this defense also, if they are ordered to pay the fines for the overflows we are still experiencing? I don't think so. They have a little bit more money than we do; they trade on the stock exchange under the name of BOC. This isn't a "little" outfit we are dealing with here. I feel they have already figured out they were negotiated with in bad faith, and plan to use it against us. It is amazing when you see the light bulbs go off on people's faces at meetings, hey?
My views were made public in the Tribune today on the Editorial page, and I still stand by them. I do feel the question was framed for a certain response, but to me -- I don't care if it's a penny. WHERE'S ALL THE MONEY? How do I know, as a ratepayer, the Board of Works reimbursed the Sewer Board? I asked Mr. Kochert that question, and he couldn't answer me. He said we couldn't.
If we, the citizens, actually had time to go through all of the claims the Board of Works and the Sewer Board approve, we may find the monies. EDIT claims need checked (we've found business suits bought out of that fund before). It's simply another day, the same old thing is going to happen tonight -- PLEASE JUST DO ONE READING OR .........
Please don't misconstrue what I am saying here as vindictive or punitive against anyone. What this Administration doesn't understand is -- IT'S NOT PERSONAL, IT'S JUST BUSINESS.
Now, I feel better. Yes, I will be at the Council and yes, I will reiterate these words. For those of you who disagree, we'll just have to beg to disagree so we may keep it civil. Thanks. Be safe and take good care, New Albany. Monday night, I'd get there at 7:15 and sign up if I wanted to speak, and there may be a severe shortage of chairs.
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9 comments:
Boy, do I apologize. That is one heck of a typo. The sentence should read "I DO BELIEVE EMC WILL USE THIS DEFENSE" -- sorry about that, readers.
I thought I saw Oliver Stone down by the Robert E. Lee.
Gee, that sounds like a Woody Guthrie song ...
New Albanian, Maybe Meesha can write one up for you. You do know I have known Meesha since he came over from Russia, don't you? He is good friends with Frank and I.
You'll be interested in knowing, if you don't already, another good friend, Michael Kessler, has finally lined up the financial support to put out the documentary "Common Sense II". We have the preview DVD and it is truly most excellent.
Sorry you found my comments so humorous, while we work so hard at doing what WE feel is right FOR US. No more "I don't knows".
Gee, if you worked at IBM and told a customer "I don't know", it is grounds for immediate dismissal.
SHOW US THE MONEY........
Thanks for your .02 worth. Nice chatting with you today. Have a good one.
BTW, looks like you switched and got off of supporting Baron Hill. Is that true? Just curious, really don't need an answer. It truly is no one's business how you vote, and I respect that.
If you do see Oliver again, give him my best. Thanks, New Albanian.
Not at all. You simply must whistle while you work.
It's always a pleasure having Misha play when we're able to have him. He represents the sort of multi-culturalism that might be extremely beneficial to New Albany at some point when we mature sufficiently to grasp it.
I enjoy Oliver Stone's movies, especially JFK, though probably nothing in it is truthful.
Finally, I've not given up on Baron Hill at all. If you'd go back and read the article, you'll see that I support Eric Schansberg's inclusion in the debates, and admit that my distaste for the W. revolution is such that I'm more than happy to vote against Hot Wheels.
I just hate to see Baron veer too far toward the center -- but that's better than the theocracy, any day. Anyway, 5% for Schansberg probably is 5% away from Sodrel, wouldn't you think?
Thank you for correcting me on Misha's spelling of his name. It has been a long time since he visited with me, or I with him.
Yes, he is exactly part of the multi-culturalism that may be extremely beneficial in accomplishing what so many of us want, bringing New Albany back to life.
Isn't that the truth about that 5% vote. It is true he should be included in the debates, I concur with that point. But, 5% is 5% and every vote helps. Thanks for taking the time to correspond.
A family emergency has arose and I will not be able to attend tonight's Council meeting. Thanks for the kind words, EastEnder.
Where will my votes come from? Only the shadow-- and some really tight polling-- will know.
It comes down to my ability to enunciate issues where both candidates fall quite short-- and the ability of each set of voters to think critically about what I'm saying. If you're willing to assume that I can enunciate pretty well, then a lot of it comes down to the ability of "Hill voters" and "Sodrel voters" to think.
For example, if you're happy with Hill, then you're happy with a candidate whose policy concerns exhibit little concern for the primary issues that affect the working poor and the middle class--or you just haven't been exposed to the relevant arguments. Such voters, if not mouth-breathers, should respond to my message and move from Hill's camp to mine. Are these Hill voters smart enough to make the jump? I think so and I sure hope so!
Bottom line: I should get plenty of votes from each side-- since each candidate is far from ideal to many people who would otherwise vote for the lesser of below-average and awful.
Having been out of town, I have recently received a posting from the Liberterian candidate running against Baron Hill and Mike Sodrel.
Please forgive me for not being able to post this message and respond with how I feel about it, the citizens of New Albany have some other things on their plates this week. You know that old saying "local politics is local politics".
The Sewer Rate Hearing is Wednesday night, and I am hopeful, maybe even sure, this gentleman does not want to intervene at this particular time like Sodrel did about the raw sewage running downs our streets.
Please forgive us while we take one issue at a time. It would not be responsible nor fair to you if I did this any other way. Hoping you undestand, Yvonne
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