Today I’m going to opine about our City Council. Right up front, let me state that, in my opinion, they are a bunch of crooks.
I regret to admit that I voted for all of them last election, because I figured they couldn’t be any worse than the previous Council. Boy, was I wrong!
One of my reasons is the firing of the former city manager, who by all I was able to see, was doing a pretty good job. Then, suddenly, he is fired, and the City spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on an out-of-town outfit to find a new city manager candidate, and then they ignore the prospective candidates selected by the high-dollar search company, and hire someone who has no experience in city management, on the basis that he is a “quick learner!”
That seems to me to be a little stupid! Would you want to be operated on by a surgeon who has no medical experience, but is a “fast learner?” Or maybe fly in a plane with a pilot who has no flight experience, but is a “fast learner?” I don’t think so! several people I have spoken with have said that the new City Manager is a friend of the mayor. Is there a little cronyism going on?
Another reason is the City’s battle with the Odessa American paper over the release of information to the public. The City spent $465,000.00 of taxpayers’ money fighting over something that is required under the Freedom of Information laws, but the City refused to follow the law. What are they trying to hide? I think the City could have found better use for $465,000 than that. For instance, they could have spent that money on the city streets. Our streets are a disgrace! I don’t know what the City spends the roads budget on, but it sure ain’t the streets and roads!
I wonder if lots of the money is not winding up in some of the local politicians’ pockets? Again, this is just my opinion, but it bears thinking about.
Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that government is crooked from the Federal level all the way down to the local level.
And, again, in my opinion, our present City Council is proving that to be true!
Sandy Milner
Odessa
