Last night, I attended the next to last meeting of the Council as it is now constituted. I was dismayed to see how many major decisions are in threat of being made at the last minute. It is almost as if the Council is trying to railroad in whatever they can as one last zinger.
Of course, I realize this Council has an obligation to pass a budget. After the initial 32% increase, the Council has kept the tax rate stable. However, the expenditures have increased this year more than 6%. Throughout the budget hearings which were attended in their entirety by me, John Gaskill and Ken Bressi, and in part by Mike Kafton, cuts were suggested by Council members and audience. from what I can see, none of these will be implemented, and the budget will be passed as presented. From the outset, this Council has stated that they inherited a mess, and that is why they raised taxes 19 cents. Well, in spite of their insistence to the contrary, we will be inheriting as big a mess. With no expenditure cuts this year, with gas prices soaring, with department demands being met almost entirely, with re-vals coming up on all the homes in Jackson, and with a recession in full swing, the Council is practically insuring a handsome tax increase for next year which can and will be blamed on the new Council.
They are talking about creating a new position which is almost an exact duplicate of the one now held by Barry Olejarz. By doing this, they are adding another level of government, and by association, closing the Building Department. Mike Reina and I both asked them to hold off on this major decision until one week later when the new Council will be in place. None of the new members is ready for such a drastic step, but the Council was turning deaf ears last night. And once again, Mr. Stallone was as rude as he's ever been which is not the way I will address the public. As I learned from 23 years in public office...an elected official will take heat. However, he or she should respond with dignity and grace and not engage in insults and nastiness.
I know this is going to be a tough job. You can never please everyone all the time, and you are as popular as your last decision. The best part for me is that I don't aspire to higher office....EVER. Therefore, I can do what I think is best in my heart and not worry about losing an election. And that is a wonderful way to feel as I start my Jackson Township Council career.
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2 comments:
I too sat in disbelief at that meeting. I got two things out of it - 1) it looks as if the council has already negotiated or is in the process of negotiating a contract with a 3rd party vendor and will eliminate the Building Department on June 24th; and 2) Angelo Stallone is a bigger jerk that I thought he was. He should be embarassed by his behavior but he is so rude and arrogant that he probably doesn't even realize that he was behaving like a child. Those third graders behaved better than he did but there's a difference; they're 8 and he's an adult! Shame on him and shame on the rest of the council for letting it continue to happen. That being said, I can not wait for you, Mike and Mike to take your seats as official councilpersons. Sanity will be restored once again to Jackson!
Hi Bobbie!
Word of the week: "Deplorable." Used in a sentence: That meeting the other night was deplorable, they should be ashamed for acting in such a way. A few of the members's parents apparently never taught them any type of manners or people skills. *Cough Cough* Stallone *Cough Cough*
I must say I have respect for only 2 people up on that Stage they call a dais and that is Ann Marie Eden and Scott Martin (kinda), I'm not quite sure why though, maybe it's because they don't seem as EVIL as the rest of them. Plus it seems Mr. Martin is about as sick and tired of the rest of the present counicil as everyone else in town is!
Well, one more meeting and Column A will be up there, I must say I will miss the WWF style fights!
~Kristen
:-D
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