June 30, 2009 marked half way through a very uneventful year. The passing of Michael Jackson enlivened the papers and television but barely got my attention. At my age I’m more hip about health care and the value of our retirement securities. We did witness the problem solving of SPSA that was easily accomplished by moving their debts down the road. CenterPoint is a non-problem due to inactivity (no movement at the ports). I did wake up when Sarah Palin walked off the job but few of us know why. It is quite obvious that businesses downtown and most everywhere else are hurting. When the SNH fills its electronic edition with ads about belly flatness and credit scores it means lean times are here. And you must be wondering who will be the next publisher; Lindsey headed home to Tennessee. At the national level the liberals own the ballpark and that assures more debt for all of us. As bad as it is our assessments are holding fast and the city has taken over who gets the charity goodies, you know, our taxes. Obviously they’ve decided we the citizens can’t decide fairly how much of our money the Peanut Fest gets so another of those useless committees will figure it out.
Even here at Inside Suffolk we have been lulled to sleep so if you have something worth us writing about tell us right here. If it makes sense we will get back to work.
14 comments:
Maybe if you would ever put something positive up here there would be more of a response from the readers. On occassion, y'all should commend the electeds and bureaucrats for the successes.
Whether you agree or disagree, this current city council has done more than most of the others combined. Why not see if a councilman will do an interview sometime. There will be no reason for them to oppose the idea. I will recommend IS interview Councilman Barclay. He is a new, fresh face to the city, I have a feeling that we will be seeing him for a long, long time to come.
Just a quick Q and A would be nice. You could even let him respond via email or snail mail. He appears to be a proactive leader and one that has no hidden agenda.
Anyone that disagrees with the power spenders downtown always point out that any comment to do better is negative press. This place just kills me! Suffolk's shouters on market street will always go for smearing the character of anyone that does not agree with them, that is why we are now is such a fine mess now. To turn IS into a speak-easy for the power elite as suggested does no one but those in power service, not the citizens of Suffolk.
How about doing some indepth review of how center point was really approved? How about doing something on how councilpeople like PARR get wealthy by using his position to take advantage of what goes on in the backroom deals? How about explaining why the many senior people in city government have left over the last four years only to then rise to higher levels in other places? How about an article on what is happening with the Fairgrounds Project and who is making money from it? Any news about how Peanut Fest is really funded?
These are the issues that need to be covered on IS and let the SNH continue to run the fluff for the elite!
"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."
The "Bull Moose" delivered these words at the Sorbonne 99 years ago. It points out that when you step forward to at least try to fix the many mistakes and misdeeds made by our leaders, you are doing a service to the community that counts! The real value of Inside Suffolk is the fact that they do not agree with the leadership often and infact do point out another alternative and way to do the business of the people of Suffolk. To diminish this valuable service and to bend Inside Suffolk into just another "go-along-group" to be used by council and their followers, just will not do! Keep up the good work and remember - "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena" not those who choose to set along the river bank and cover their butts by praising the unpraise-worthy, just because they are in power! We are all served by Inside Suffolk, as long as it remains independent and critical so we get all sides of the local issues.
More Homeowners Seek Adjustments To Property Tax Bills.
The New York Times (7/5, A1, Healy) reported on its front page, "Homeowners across the country are challenging their property tax bills in droves as the value of their homes drop, threatening local governments with another big drain on their budgets." The challenges are said to come "from owners of $10 million estates and one-bedroom bungalows, from residents of the high-tax enclaves surrounding New York City, and from taxpayers in the Rust Belt and states like Arizona, Florida and California, where whole towns have been devastated by the housing bust." One survey found that "76 percent of large counties said that falling property tax revenue was significantly affecting their budgets" and "about 10 percent of large counties are raising the tax rates associated with home values to minimize the revenue loss."
Sound like Suffolk and how the Assessor has done us? Wait and see what we get next year. Now this is news!!!!!!! Any takers?
By that logic, you then believe that IS should believe evrything based on rumors, ill-conceived facts, and pre-conceived notions. It would be far better for IS to go directly to the horse's mouth on occassion.
Do any of you personally know any council members? Most of you don't know any of the leaders in our city. To many of the readers, our officials are bad guys simply because they don't always agree with you
I agree, let the council come forward for an interview. Time to ask the hard questions anyway. Will asking insure truth? I don't think so and perhaps that is what the knowing is about. Council is not bad people, just stupid people. But we do deserve them as we put them into office year after year. Just look at our constitutional officers as another example. I fear shaking hands with ron williams, for fear of not getting it back. phil the fearless fergasin commonwealth attorney is not any better, but they seem to feel they will get reelected in the coming election. time will tell for sure, but I expect the people of suffolk will fail again to elect anyone new or with some real ideas.
does the poster above even know anyone on council, or is he on council? inquiring minds would like to know.
Who says we will get the facts only from council and the managers? Can you spell nieveta? :) To await the truth from no one but our council and managers seems fruitless given their lack of such in the past! To often in Suffolk, rumor has proven to be truth!
July 6, 2009 5:33 PM,
Yes, I personally know two members of council,a school board member, and a couple constitutional officers. Other than college and graduate school, I have live here my entire life (50+ years).
These are good people. Do I always agree with them? No. Does IS? Certainly not. But, they do what they think is right. What are your grounds for being smarter than they?
Here is a novel idea: Why don't some of you run for and be elected to public office? If you want change, then bring it about yourself. Why do you expect different results from the same people?
It's time for many of council's harshest criticizers to put their money where their mouth is and publicly stand up - outside of this blog. Stand up and run if you want things done your way.
There will be elections for council and school board in 2010. Barlow will probably retire - he's advanced in age. If history repeats itself, Gardy will not be re-elected, and Brown may call it quits as he has attained quite a tenure on council, and I don't see him being Vice-Mayor any time soon.
We could see 2 or 3 new faces on council in January 2011. Why don't some of the opponents of the current council run and make a stand?
By an overwhelming margin, the voters rejected the negative mayoral candidate. This just goes to show that negativity doesn't play well in Suffolk.
I had dinner with Joe Barlow last evening and I believe he would be at least mildly upset to hear that he is advanced in age. I see him as a bright young man with the people's welfare very much in mind. Before I created Inside Suffolk I had come to know all the Constitutional Officers and all members of Council except Brown and Barclay. I also knew three city managers and several city staff members. "IS" is for you to provide negative or positive comment. A POST is to stimulate thinking
Just because one does not agree with council does not mean that it is negative. To often a disenting view is cast as negative,just because it is different. Suffolk is better served by more than just one view or way of doing, especially when you demand my money by fiat and tax. To assume the only way to get along is to go along shows a great degree of ignorance. We have to much of that already in or little town.
Will you folks at Inside Suffolk please stop trying to help. Your analysis and thoughtful commentary on issues impacting Suffolk are accurate. You have peeled away the layers of our government and understand how to solve many of our community's problems without breaking the budget. Moreso you know where to go to find answers and to present them in a clear and concise forum. The problem is you think those in government understand or care to try. They are a selfish arrogant lot and the people they associate with are of the same conviction. My advise to you is solve our city's problems and tell no one until you find a candidate worth supporting.
A candidate worthy of support is one that can win the election. To date the only way to win is to promise everything, but have no intention to deliver. Most people of good character will not lie to garner votes and by defalt, wlll never get the vote necessary to win. Remember all the promises by Parr? He promised lower taxes and has never even proposed such in the lasr three years time. He won with dishonest promises he never intended to keep, but did pocket your vote.
It would seem the onl way to win is to brake the first point of integrety by lying to get elected. This paradox insures no one with any measure of integrety will get the vote. The only recourse is to comment and hope to change the outcome by embarassing those in office.
Here's the thing. Those in office who continually make bad decisions aren't the type who are embarrased when they are not doing their job. Such a shame.
As long as there is campaign money flowing in from developers, lawyers and cronies the possibility of a free standing candidate winning in Suffolk is remote. Last election one councilman opening supported another with money, a sign gang and fundraisers. When he runs for re-election you can bet the farm the favor will be returned.
Post a Comment