"LAND OF CONFUSION" genesis
I have seen a map on the new Ward boundaries that will be presented to council for approval.
Some very interesting changes are forthcoming in the next election.
First off I can guarantee that Paul Hach will not run unopposed this election...it seems Chestnut St. is now in Ward IV. I have been promised at least one new candidate to run against Robert Fountain in Ward III.
I have not found one person who is NOT running in Ward II.
Also Ward I has picked up all of the Ward IV boundary that was east of Richmond St.
I see more of the same political turf fights that have been used in the past.
I also know of four potential candidates that, if elected, would not renew the present City Manager's contract.
Seems a certain Council at Large councilman will be very busy this election season.
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I have emailed all council members along with the city manager and clerk of council to televise the Council "work session" on Monday April 11,2011
posted by terminator1 @ 10:27 AM
42 Comments
42 Comments:
I find it disturbing that 4 possible candidates are willing to not rehire when they do not even know yet whether she has fulfilled everything that the current council asked of her.
That is like saying that your current boss gives you a list of items to focus on and accomplish, you work to the list and then a new boss is brought in and decides you worked on the wrong stuff and fires you, is that fair?, or even reasonable?
I think if any candidate comes out and says they will not rehire before they even review her current goals they will not get my vote. I do not want that kind of person as a council member.
No, I believe those four are stating that she has asked council to fulfill all her budget demands.
Council is handed her budget and then asked to vote on it.
Maybe its time council hands her a budget and asks her to fullfill it?
There is no transparency in city finances, no line items only she can understand what and where money is going.
Council should take heed. The citizens are unhappy with the current make-up of council and fresh blood may be what is needed.
She appears to be the Boss and has singlehanded approved everything that has gone in front of council.
Council must regain control of the city and be proactive and not let one unelected offical make all decisions.
The candidates will speak for themselves and presently your thoughts on a councilperson just might be in the minority. Look around?
To run for city council you only have to live in the city and get a certain number of signatures on a petition. That's it - no other qualifications. So the idea of changing from a city manager run government - where the city manager is someone with an education in public administration and economic development - to a council run by a mayor (again - no requirements) scares me and it should scare others too. Running a city with a million dollar budget and a few hundred employees is not a job for an amateur - I don't care how passionate or devoted someone is to improving the city.
It's interesting that the people who want to replace the current council with a new batch of inexperienced folks are the same ones who don't want to spend money on the schools (and don't trust those professionals either). Is there a common theme here? Not valuing education?
A good education is the best way to raise kids' expectations of what they can accomplish and break the cycle of poverty - and that's the key to long term improvement of the city - well educated citizens.
9:02 Just one questions . All these "professionals" you speak of how has that worked out for the benefit of our city and schools?
Sad to say so many well educated citizens have high-tailed it out of Painesville.
Scared? You should already be scared.
9:02 - Yes there is a common thread among those people, they just DON'T GET IT.
It is very easy to sit around your house and complain about everything and I do mean EVERYTHING, city and schools. It's very easy to constantly nit-pick everything anyone does.
It's very easy to be mean and hateful of those who work hard to make a difference and an honest living.
But if those handful of criers & whiners had to walk just 1 mile in someone else's shoes, they'd be singing a different tune.
I am very afraid if some of the proposed people run for coucil. So Term, that will be another reason MORE well educated people will be "flocking" from Painesville.
9:02
since we spend more per student than any other school system in Lake County and have the lowest graduation rate can you tell me where the citizens failed to financially support the school system?
Seems to me more like pouring sand down a rat hole. Someone must be held accountable for the atrocious graduation rate and school scores.
How's your house value these days? Tried to sell it lately, especially to a family with school age children.
Personally I hold the school board responsible. They are the ones who repeatedly awarded the current paid administrators for a failing policy.
To 5:16: Anyone who has been watching what McMahon has done over the years she has been in office, already clearly knows what she has and has not done for our city, and the many debacles of million dollar losses, etc. Not to mention that she lost us the hospital. To 9:02: Who is to say that we will not remain with a city manager form of government -- it just can't be THIS city manager.
To anyone who would say that she should stay or that it is too premature to say that she needs to go, I say that you must not be paying very close attention. I think anyone who HAS been paying attention, would clearly know that this woman needs to go, and she needs to go as fast as possible.
I, too, have the concern that a mayor might not have the proper knowledge. That is something that needs to be discussed thoroughly before any changes are attempted in our charter. Then again, maybe a mayor with a city manager under them? People who know more than me will have to come up with what form they think will be the best. And as I said, maybe just a different city manager than McMahon. I would think many open discussions with any citizen who wants to participate would have to be held. And Term is certainly correct when he says some of the power needs to be taken away from the city manager and given back to council. And we certainly need to know WHERE EVERY DOLLAR GOES. We have all these million dollar deals going on all the time, including our budget, where nobody knows what is going on besides her and Hada, etc. That's enough to scare the crap out of me, and it should be enough to scare anyone who is paying attention.
I'll tell you something else -- she needs to get out just based on her disrespect of the citizens alone.
Now I'm scared. What professional do I talk to about the conditions of the road's in Painesville?
Every road project in the last 20 years has never lived up to it's life expectancy.
Everything is done on the cheap and usually at the time of years roads should be plowed not asphalted.
Criers and whiners,along with the nitpickers.
I guess we should just be happy with the status quo?
The people posting are not whiners there people who probably see the same waste that I do.
If Painesville is this utopia you
Speak of why is it that 80% of the people employed either by the city or schools choose not to live here?
Some have valid reasons.... but this great amount of them?
They know what you refuse to admit to. FAILURE!
Soon the only thing flocking to Painesville will be poor souls that have nowhere else to go.
ANON Please learn to spell council?
I for one will NEVER vote for a candidate that WILL renew her contract!
"What professional do I talk to about the conditions of the road's in Painesville?"
Professional? I don't think there are many of them in the Public Works...
Term, where would one find a copy of this proposed Ward map? Is this something available on the city website?
the Flocking is here.. Term u should of left in the 50's One potatoe time
ADAM I could tell you to call city hall ,but just call John Murphy he'll get a copy to you. Remember this is only a proposal your still in the same ward.
3:34 I still believe Painesville can regain it's stature as a great place to live.
Seems the employment of the City Manager will become a polarizing issue in the coming months.
I for one am glad the issue has been raised.
2:39: I can add to your road issues. When I bought my home approx. 20 years ago, our street was fine. We had no sidewalks, but we had a nice little paving-stone walkway all up and down the street. The condition of the street itself was fine. Then they decided to do the other half of my street, and ended up coming all the way around the curve and to the other end. The street they left us with cracked right away. They had it so low on the sides that cars and people were falling into the huge country ditches they dug in front of our little city houses. Gone were our nice little walkways. They also broke and then took away (without my permission) one of a set of entrance pieces that apparantly had been here close to 100 years.
When I pressed about the street, I was told that they had some left over stuff, so they decided to come down here and do this, too. But this was just fine before they got involved. They never repaired the grass they dug up, etc., etc. (This is Elm Street I am talking about. The part off of North State.) Now this street looks like junk. The grass is supposed to go right up to the street now (without curbs), and it is all worn away, or never came back from the "fixing" of the street. After MUCH fighting they finally covered in the ditches. I just noticed, however, that the ends of the pipes, if that is what they are called, that were put in before the ditches were filled in, look like they are open. If that is the case, then huge amounts of debris can be washed down them, along with a child or animals. Clearly some sort of wire mesh or something needs to be over the ends.
Anyway, I'm with you on the whole street thing. Every time I look out my front door or drive down my street I am still reminded. Never could get the city to come fix the lawns they wrecked. I finally discovered that the only way to have green all the way up to the street was to grow weeds there. It is the only thing that will stay.
Well, good-luck on that meeting Monday being televised.
There's not even a mention of it on the Painesville offical city hall web site.
Must be more professionals at work?
Don't have money for new water lines. At the same time we can send a crew out on a Sunday to repair one?
I guess your talking about the crew working between Bank and Valley View on Walnut St.
The Walnut St. repairs between Bank and Valley View were because of a water main break. The road deteriorated and the water was flooding backyards.
That is why they called out city utilities on a weekend to do repairs instead of waiting until Monday.
it is so obvious to me who needs to go on city council. you have 2 members that should stay and all the rest can keep patting themselves on their backs and on rita's back as well as they leave. rita needs to be fired. end of story. this town absolutely sucks to live in. i have had my house up for sale for almost a year and nnnnnnnnnnnobody has made an offer. i want out and i can't get out, and these self serving idiots on council are continuing to ruin this town. vote them out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I, for one, will give anyone running for council a second look if they take a stand and show some independent thought and a few feasible ideas to fix some of what is broken. I will listen very hard this time because the councilman that represents (?) me now did that during the last campaign and then did an immediate about-face once in office. As the saying goes...'fool me once...'. I do agree with the posters above that say it is time for council to be independent of the city manager and put the hierarchy back in order.
Should be a very interesting civics lesson in the democratic process come this fall. Wonder what form the campaigns will be run under and how the process will be manipulated to attempt to assure that the powers-that-be stay in charge. Voters are notorious for short-term memories so maybe the present administration can get transparent, polite and effective before the next election. Good luck to any new faces making a run at a seat...hope you have thick skin because people will play dirty pool around here in the fall.
As per 8:14: Yes, let's not forget McMahon's statement that went something like this: "I know there was an incident, I just can't remember what that incident was" when SHE was found out to have participated in DIRTY, DIRTY politics against someone running that she did not want on council. Everyone who is running against anyone that Hada/McMahon, etc. do not want to win, has to be prepared for this deplorable behavior. I don't know how they can combat that this time, but let's at least try to be prepared and to have some sort of game plan since they always pull it at the last minute when the candidates do not have time to answer the allegations/accusations. The behavior these people exhibit in our city elections is shameful. We should not ever see this type of behavior in national politics, let alone in Painesville.
As of right now another meeting at the library is planned later this month. When there is an offical time and date I will post it. KB- Ward II I don't believe anyone has offically declared yet.
Well then Term - I will be the first to officially announce that I will be running for Ward 2. The only way that this will change is if there are several individuals running. I do not believe in splitting the vote, and feel very strongly that this is how the current councilman came in to that position.
It is public record - but I have pulled the petition, and am eagerly awaiting June 13th, when I can begin collecting signatures and campaigning.
If anyone would like to speak to me about this, feel free to email me at katiebecky@yahoo.com
Congratulations on your decison to run.Katie.
Will be looking forward to seeing you campaign.
Plus it's nice to see young people getting involved in this.
So is what Katie saying is I will run if no one else challenges Hal Werner?
If your going to run, RUN.
You should care less who also runs and I believe there will be many pulling petitions.
Elm Street people better check out the creek that goes under the road down by the curve, it is washing away at the stone along the north side when is falls in, the road will be closed for a very long time everyone needs to call and tell the city about it before it is to late.
If John Murphy is looking in and plans to run for council, I'd like to know his plan would be in cleaning up Chestnut St. caddy corner to his house? A few doors down from the store near the tracks. Those places look like they are from inner-city Cleveland.
Where is the city in all this? Even the area near the tracks and the building next to it is boarded up. It's not John Murphys job to fix this its Bob Fountains? Does he get a pass here also. I guarantee that the conditions in ward 3 would have been a whole lot better if Murphy would have won.
Hal's best chances at re-election are:
1. Running unopposed
2. Running against 2 or more other candidates
Katie, I wish you the best in your campaign. You know how to find me, so let me know when I can sign, and help out.
No, actually what I was saying was that if there is someone else I can stand behind, whom I would vote for, then I'm not going to split the votes. 9 people running does not accomplish anything but allowing the person the minority votes for to get office. If there are several candidates who represent the beliefs of the people, then may the best woman run. I've pulled my petition, and I have every intention of running, but my goal is what is best for Painesville. And if there are other people running, I challenge them to do the same. Running for office for the purpose of running will not do anything for the future of this city.
And I think it's funny you chose to remain anonymous.
answer to post 3;43 & 7;49 the area you have concern about is in ward 4 presently. [Paul Hach's ward.] however a proposed ward boundaries area change would have me in ward 4 and I could work to Improve the area of concern. LOOKING FORWARD TO SERVING THE CITY RESIDENT,S John Murphy.
I really didn't care who had the ward, I always see & hear Mr. Murphy's complaints about a lot less important things and thought he would have stood up against the city to have something done about this too.
Funny, That's why problems like this exist. You have a ward councilman and three at large, yet you want action from a resident?
Call the people in charge to fix this.
Term 5:12: I get your point to 12:42. That was my first thought, too. But on second thought, 12:42 is probably like a lot of us, and just plain gave up trying to get the council or McMahon to do anything about anything. That's why I, for one, am reading this blog and hopeful that change is coming in the form of new council people and getting rid of McMahon.
No, I am not like the rest of you and that is why I pointed it out here. There are so many busy-bodies and gossips here that like to meddle in others business, I wanted to see how it would be handled. This bunch of rough-rider residents like to take action, lets do it!
This is 9:43. If 12:44 is also 12:42 that I stood up for, NEVER MIND. Sorry I tried to stand up for you, 12:42. Call your council person, and good luck with that. And what good are YOU demanding services from citizens and not your council person? Answer: Certainly not part of the solution.
12:42,12:44, 5:02 Well I finally guessed right on a song title. Because now I'm completely confused with all this?
It means that I (9:43) stood up for 12:42, and I wish I had not.
I was planning to vote for John Murphy, now I find out they plan to put him in W-4. Is there a candidate out there willing to run a against Mr Fountain? Frustrated and Confused in Ward Three.
I'd vote for Jan Clair and I'm a registered Democrat!
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