From the DMN letter to the editor section on 4/13/13
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Mr Wright does seem to have been hitting the "pints". Laura's position against charter change for direct election of Mayor was not because she was lazy. It was because she saw other issues as higher priority, saw the need for a more comprehensive charter review, and understood that a comprehensive review was better taken up later when time to do it right was available.
ReplyDeleteOIC, and that's why Laura pursued the comprehensive charter review, right?
ReplyDeleteGet real. There was nothing noble in the exchange that killed the public deliberation of any aspect relative to fixing our broken charter. It was a carefully orchestrated motion to quash the issue without addressing it. She just used a convenient excuse for doing nothing, like has been done by her band of supporters for the past 50+ years.
Of course, the Coalitionists continue to blow smoke attempting to rewrite history. It's clear from the video that Omar was treading on sacred ground because the good old boys had the slide greased up Laura to take over from Bobby one-finger after the next election.
The real Richardson heroes foiled their plot with the peoples' petition. There was nothing left that they could do except what they are doing now, i.e., hire a public relations professional and use all resources at their disposal to portray Laura as their saving saint.
The best time to fix problems with government is now, not "when we find the time". Procrastination only gets us more corruption by way of the loopholes in the broken charter. That's what doing nothing (again) will perpetuate.
You're right. Laura was, and still is, just leading the cheer for more of the same for God knows how much longer.
This only serves to prove why change is needed now. We are all fed up, sick and tired of all the B.S. at city hall!
Vote Omar for moving forward. Vote Maczka for staying stuck in the past.
"The best time to fix problems with government is now, not "when we find the time". Procrastination only gets us more corruption by way of the loopholes in the broken charter. "
ReplyDeleteProblems are being addressed and Council just felt that the Charter review was not the most pressing issue to be addressed.
JM
JM,
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect, it is not the Council's place to DECIDE what is pressing or not of those these represent. When asked for something coming on 10 years, the message sent is we are not listening. Direct election changed that.
What problems do you think they are addressing that isn't self absorbed?
What is particularly clear about the Richardson City Council is that they believe the Republic form of government is a license for elected officials to do as they please after they trick enough voters to get elected.
ReplyDeleteWhat you will find in this gang is they say and do anything that placates the masses during the run up to the election.
After the election, it's back to the same old "leave us alone and let us do our job" attitude.
They confuse their job of representing the residents of this town with the agenda being set by outsiders.
They throw their hands up when the City Manager refuses to respond to add individual Council Member issues on the agenda of the governing body and completely ignore the fact that it is a CITY COUNCIL meeting.
I especially like Bill Keffler's response when asked to put an item on the agenda, "I have 7 bosses...you are only one." That's where the stonewall to citizen representation on the agenda came to be, and the notion that it takes, as Laura puts it, 4 (a majority vote) to get an item other than the City Manager's list on the agenda.
Real convenient. Council members and residents were minimized by the hired help. We've been electing mental midgets for a long time.
There are those in town who have come to like city hall being run like a corporation instead of a municipal government. They can get away with a lot of abuses acting as a corporate board. One of the biggest is secrecy.
If they were behaving like a real governing body, a representative government, resident issues would be addressed, not stonewalled.
There are big differences between corporations and municipal governments. Don't let these zealots continue to act like a corporate entity. The city government is not entitled to behave like a corporation!
Stop the abuse of using the power of public office over the people. Return the Richardson city government to being the servant of the people....if you can.
Fix the Charter. Elect reverent people who will truly protect and defend the values and principles we all hold to be self-evident.
Dump the scofflaws who have ruined civil government with their smarmy ways and reward those who have shown themselves worthy of praise as the peoples' servant.
"With all due respect, it is not the Council's place to DECIDE what is pressing or not of those these represent. When asked for something coming on 10 years, the message sent is we are not listening. Direct election changed that. "
ReplyDeleteIt's a representative form of governance. So it is their place. The Council hears a multitude of voices supporting different positions. The city staff are often dismissively referred to as the "hired help" but they have experience and expertise to lend to any issue before Council. We do have a Council Manager form of local government. Is anyone suggesting we change this?
Just perhaps the voices not being listened to ARE being heard and just being rejected because those ideas are not workable, too much out of the mainstream, or just bad. Does it help to bad mouth folks carrying opposing ideas or would it be better to work within the system to educate folks about an idea and try to gain acceptance so it can move forward?
JM
Gosh darn, maybe you are right. I should just go home and hide my head as government on all levels gets bigger and bigger and bigger. Geez.
ReplyDeleteYou speak as though I have no choices other than to do as I am told. That is not representative government. It is difficult to tell whether anyone is heard or not. Protocol is to break down communication.
No, I do not agree the council has that power, completely. They are always at choice to put to a vote ANYTHING.
Looking at the CAFR, there are several things not working at all, though they have refused to address. And then there are fabrications.
The staff IS hired help. Excessively well paid hired help. I am the hired help at my job. Unless you are a privately owned business owner, you ARE the hired help. You act as though that is a bad thing. There are lots of people in this city, unemployed, who would love to be the hired help.
Experience and lean to their expertise.....
Well, I might agree to some degree, but I will not agree completely without complete transparency. Too much water has passed under that bridge. And too many exceptions have come to light requiring citizen review and working together. Not exactly what you said.
If I knew what "moving forward" meant and could see evidence in the city itself and in the books, there would be no discussion. But it is not there. Failing is one thing, but to continue to justify your decisions while the problem grows is mind boggling. Even warped logic does not resonate.
If you cannot maintain whatcha got, how can you take on more to maintain? I call it long term neglect.
Busy does not mean effective. People want to see effective as the last of their buying power is driven in the dirt.
Where is Mr North? We might need to instigate a few more petition drives to bring back the balance.
>would it be better to work within the system to educate folks about an idea and try to gain acceptance so it can move forward?
ReplyDeleteWe tried that for 6 months and got nowhere.
About the rental inspection ordinance, the city staff is NOT following its ordinance. This is what the ordinance says.
"The building official or his agent shall...with the occupant's permission, may enter any unit...."
"Whenever the building official is denied admission to inspect any rental unit under this section, inspection shall be made only under authority of a warrant issued by a magistrate authorizing the inspection."
Occupants refuse inspections and the municipal judge (who is NOT a disinterested party) issues an admin. warrant with NO PROBABLE CAUSE. Then the city chose NOT TO exercise the warrant and instead prosecuted landlords.
So the landlords went to the trial. The judge only allowed in evidence that would ensure conviction.
-Trial Transcript
http://www.richardsontexaslandlords.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/rental-inspection-trial-transcript.pdf
Citizens don't even have a chance for a fair trial. What do you do?
We went to the council meeting to try to get the item on the agenda. The mayor's response was: "The City Council carefully considered this issue and provided numerous opportunities for public input throughout the program's development. "
Really?! Metrotex publicly voiced opposition at a council meeting before the ordinance was updated in 2011. The city had a list of 2500 registered rentals and did NOT notify any landlord before the update was discussed. The city clearly didn't want any input from citizens.
One of the council members keeps saying, "We should have a yearly review of the program."
It's been 18 months since the update was implemented. When did the review happen?
All this time, some of us sent e-mails to council members. Most don't even respond. What do you do?
The city manager falsely accused the landlords saying, "These (prosecuted landlords) are exceptions... their rentals weren't registered." Even after being provided proof of registration since 2009, the city manager wouldn't even admit he made an inaccurate statement. What do you do?
Tell me how citizens can be heard and injustice corrected. It is THE CITY STAFF that is NOT following the ordinance.
We tried to work in the system. When administrative remedies are exhausted, the only option left for citizens is to take legal action. It's unfortunate that that's the only way to get the council's attention. Even if we win, we'll be paying ourselves (or our lawyer and the city attorney) with our own tax money.
"Gosh darn, maybe you are right. I should just go home and hide my head as government on all levels gets bigger and bigger and bigger. Geez."
ReplyDeleteDon't think anyone advocated blind acceptance or resigning from participation in the process.
"We tried that for 6 months and got nowhere"
Gee, really, six whole months? Civic activism isn't a quick fix remedy. Other folks spend decades building civic relationships and being engaged. It may get them the ear of a decision maker on some particular issue but sure doesn't guarantee that their position will win out.
JM
Name one time it has?
ReplyDeleteJM
ReplyDeleteWhat have you ever disagreed on and took a stance for more than 6 months? Details please?
>Gee, really, six whole months?
ReplyDeleteWe never said we gave up. We're still working. More people are joining our efforts.
The more landlords the city prosecutes or tries to prosecute, the more resistance will grow.
You shouldn't have to spend DECADES "building relationships" in order to get heard on a single issue. If I have to spend "decades," I'll be dead!! Basically, you're saying you have to be an "insider" to get anything changed.
I also want to know when a citizen's position won out? Don't use vague rhetoric. I gave you a specific example. Give me a specific example.
No wonder young families won't move to Richardson. They have to wait for DECADES to be heard!
ReplyDeleteSome of you, including Laura, who keep making the point that the only valid ideas come from those who have lived here for DECADES don't realize how insular and exclusive that message is. The fact that you can't even see that suggests chronic detachment.
"No wonder young families won't move to Richardson."
ReplyDeleteThis is just not true. I know one couple under 30 who just bought a house in Richardson last week and there is another in my office actively searching for one but is struggling because as he put it, "starter homes are flying off the market in your town."
"starter homes are flying off the market in your town."
ReplyDeleteThey're flying off the market not just in Richardson, but most places in the Metroplex. The market has been a seller's market since late last year. The housing inventory has been about 4 months while 6 months signals a balanced market.
"No wonder young families won't move to Richardson."
That's what some city officials complain about.
JM @ several times
ReplyDeleteYou stated (April 14, @12PM)"Problems are being addressed..." and (April 14 @ 4:21 PM) "Just perhaps the voices not being listened to ARE being heard and just being rejected because those ideas are not workable, too much out of the mainstream, or just bad."
Your comments remind me of the gentleman who, as I understand from a recent visit, provided the City Manager with a report in October of 2008 showing the excessiveness of the management contract the City had provided the operator of Sherrill Park Golf Course for over twenty years.
What did the City Manager (who as you say has "experience and expertise to lend to any issue before the Council")do?
He refuted the report categorically, denied its accuracy and any need to make changes in the contract. The Council agreed, several saying they thought it was a great contract and nothing needed to be done.
In my visit with the person who gave the report to the City, I learned the management and Council significantly revised the contract recently, providing the Golf Fund with approximately $500,000 in revenue which had previously gone to the contractor.
He informed me he had since 2008 provided councilmembers with numbers indicating the contract was excessive and showing them that losses were beginning and would get larger. Still nothing was done. Finally, after the General Fund had to bail out the Course losses to the tune of over two million dollars, and under pressure from that citizen and others whom he had interested in the issue over almost five years, the City revised the Golf Course Management contract as of January 2013.
So, JM, was re-working a contract that had overpaid the contractor more than a half million dollars a year for over twenty years "an idea ...not workable", or "too much out of the mainstream", or was it just "bad"?
It wasn't changed until the contract was proven to be excessive, and the losses caused by those excess could no longer be sustained. How many more issues are there like this considered by management and the Council in the same way because of long time personal relationships or less than fully transparent activities?