OXYMORON EXISTS IN CITY POLITICS

 WE HAVE ELECTED ALL MORMON COUNCIL TO GOVERN WHO APPEAR TO ENJOY SPENDING MONEY LIKE A DRUNKEN SAILOR

 HOW CAN THIS BE? PLEASE SAY IT ISN’T SO…..OR IS IT?

There being no Council Meeting on the first Thursday in January 2015 I thought it might be fun to remind ourselves that all elected city officials and city manager are members of the LDS Church…..And therefore being members of the Church….. In good standing all are expected not to partake of alcoholic beverages. YET it appears that they are able to spend or commit TAXPAYER’S money …….As the old saying goes…..SPEND MONEY “Like A Drunken Sailor”…Free of any Conservative Inhibitions. 

BEFORE, you get mad at me for insinuating that a comparison can be made let me first apologize to all sailors.  Please know that I Googled. Asking for origin of the saying and received the following…... To spend a lot of money at any one time; taken from the fact that sailors, while on shore leave, used to spend all their money in red light districts and alcohol. Example: I stopped letting my wife use the credit card. Every time she goes to the mall she spends like a drunken sailor on shore leave. Folks, it was just an expression on a few observations I have made at past Council Meetings.

Allow me to share just a few thoughts…..Just to fill the void created by not having Council Meetings or perhaps when City Council goes into executive sessions in which the public is not allowed to enter. (Just a few weeks ago Councilman Almquist acted on our behalf asking City Attorney to publicly explain the law and authority given to the Council to move into Closed Sessions. We were to be comforted by the knowledge that the council is empowered to keep us in the dark legally. Thank you Councilman Almquist. Perhaps the public is better off not knowing how Council chose to spend taxpayer dollars.)  Thus, avoiding appearance of spending money, like a “Drunken Sailor”. (“Abraham Lincoln” You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.)

How does this square with Mayor Pike’s statement….. His overall goal is to involve citizen’s…..To improve upon decision making process and make citizens a part of the process and move forward together. Mayor Pike announced he would seek interaction with representatives from other cities on issues like training programs and conferences to improve upon use of information, data and technology to address problems in more active efficient ways.

 

My friends I ask you….. Are we to follow Councilman Almquist in his move to have us better understand, the value of secrecy…..Or are we to place greater value in a more open city government expressed by Mayor Pike? 

Getting back to the Oxymoron of a Mormon spending money like a “Drunken Sailor.” It is a figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory ideas or terms are combined.

Let us examine value issues at play. The first being the slow, subtle evolvement of City Government leading us to believe that the best use of city property on which the Sun Bowl -Lions Rodeo presently sits….. Is not only to provide the property…..But to spend a large amount of taxpayer money……As much as $2,000,000 has been mentioned to do the job right…..Does this serve the best interest of the Citizens of St. George…..More than it favors the Old Men at the Lions Club or those Council Members, holding tight, to their childhood dreams of what once was.  This WITHOUT ANY public hearing or presentation (Like Vision Dixie Process put forward by the County or allowing the public to vote on a new library requiring the spending of millions of dollars)…..A blatant example of spending money like a “Drunken Sailor” …..ESPECIALLY when you take into consideration that Washington County has indicated….. A willingness to allow the Sun Bowl Rodeo to take place on County Fair Grounds where adequate parking and seating is already available……At NO COST to St. George taxpayers.

Fiduciary responsibilities would be better served by providing a 24/7 Fire Station in Little Valley where population growth presents increased concerns for Fire/Public Safety.…..Not to mention response time and emergency support to St. George Airport.

My friends it is time for our City Council to present the appearance of fiscal sobriety. After all it’s our money they are spending and we trust them to use $$$$$ wisely.

Thank you. ED BACA