"HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT" pat benatar
Rumors abound that well this blog. is just too "negative"? To some of you it must seem that way. See I never attended a class on "spin" I have heard from some there seems to be more than one way to state facts.
That said when I mention that at an open city council meeting the AMP-OHIO President CEO Marc Gerkins tells every one in the room we owe 2.7 million dollars I take him at his word. Now new numbers come out all the time the latest by the city manager is of 1.9 million. Could be true but that begs to ask who's paying the litigators, as well as the interest on the borrowed money? what we only owe AMP-OHIO 1.9 million and the attorneys $500,000 and interest of $300,000?
Why is it that residents have to inform council people that they are paying over $100,000 in bond interest per month and why were they never informed about of this by the city manager? How am I to spin that?
MainStreet Sreetscape sorry I can't find a bigger waste of funds close to $300,000 of city money even though we will get a $600,000 Grant. Wonder if Main St. is rated a 1 or 4 by the city? There are many areas downtown that need work ahead of Main St. $900,000? You have to wonder who pulled that number out of a hat. I just wonder how long after the construction starts the city and residents will be hearing the moaning that all this construction is hurting our businesses from the merchants on Main St.?
A group like the POC was only started because it seemed city council never had any intention of holding the city administration responsible for anything. From budget issues to many "other" issues. We even presented them with ways to cut costs. The result, you get viewed as a small group of "negative" people. Ever wonder why the Council-President or City Manager seem so silent after being asked a question? Only because of by law they don't have to answer you. "It's a bad idea to air your dirty laundry out in the open" How has that worked out for us in the last 30 years?
The blog. or a certain group like the POC might keep a business or a home buyer from coming to Painesville? Well a few years back I met a retired lady who feel in love with Painesville. Actually Veterans Park. She purchased a condo in town and now views it as one of the biggest mistakes she ever made. Not with anger but with tears.
This blog. acknowledges positive things in town. Steele Mansion is one. Ask them how they view the POC? Even though, certain unnamed council people did much greater harm to the way people viewed the city then this blog. could ever possible do. the D.O.G.S. program in the schools is another positive.
All I ask is but please never expect me let someone crap on my head and expect a Thank-You for the hat just deposited on my head .
Why do so many of you read this? I don't spin the stories the correct way?
posted by terminator1 @ 7:11 AM
19 Comments
19 Comments:
In Wednesday News-Herald there will be a list of 11 Public Works Project from 11 different Lake County communities the amount of grants amount to 2.4 million. Want to guess a community that didn't apply?
I noticed streets, sewers, water lines yet no project city mentioned a Streetscape. Only real improvement projects.
Painesville applied and did not make the short list as I understand it.
I think that you bite on to a bit, and no matter what information someone gives you, or what else comes to light....you maintain whatever the initial belief was. That belief is not always accurate. Your friend on council does the same thing. He can ask the same question 29 times, get the same answer 29 times, but then say he didn't know about it.
The streetscape is an effort to continue to revitalize and open up the downtown. You've stated that the PITP has outgrown the square....one of the benefits of this construction is making the square bigger. It's an effort to undue the mess Nero made of our downtown. Yes, it's costing money...but there can be no return without investment. Maybe it will work. maybe it won't. But you can't always be negative about trying.
And a lot of the ways to cut costs that have been presented in council meetings are ILLEGAL. I don't know how many times council has publicly stated that things can not be done in some willy nilly way. A city budget is not comparable to your household budget.
I read this blog to see how misinformed the people of Painesville are. Sometimes you get it right, but more often than not you sensationalize and leave out responses on purpose. It seems to me you like to coach from the stands. A lot of whining...with no viable solutions. Why don't you try working with someone other than Andy if you think your suggestions are so useful?
5:03 Maybe my friend on council as well as myself never get the answers to the questions we ask?
The Streetscape I'm misinformed? The $900,000 goes from Key Bank to the Nolan Building nott one dime for Park Place or Veterans Park.
The mess you speak of started along time before Nero was city manager.How any of this will make the Square bigger remains a mystery to me. Explain what you expect in return on this waste of money on Main St.?
A lot of the ways to cut costs are illegal? How so? The city mantains they use interesting ways to get around some of these restrictions. Like the Water Department purchase of a very large International Tandem Dump Truck, seems the city has used that vehicle to remove snow from downtown? Waste Water Treatment Plant to buy a riding lawnmower, tractor what ever to be used to cut grass along the freeway? Great idea's and hardly illegal more of this is needed. The city could save residents plenty of money if they ran this city more like a business.
Coach from the stands? I have attended just about every council meeting in the last 8 years. and expressed what I thought the direction the city should head.
Laugh all you want if they would have taken the time to listen to others as well as myself they would have more money in the city coffers. Anonymous you can critize me as well as the blog. all you want until you at the very least identify yourself. I will look at you as a enabler,along with someone who denys the facts. Keep listening to city hall , but take some time to look around please.
This blog drives business away from Painesville? Did anyone but me catch how Lori DiNallo and one other tried to end the Steele Mansion? If you owned a business and watched here through the proceedings Painesville would never be on your list of places to expand. Welllll. That's all I have to offer!
Galion city charter amendment official make the ballot.
One deranged city council member has a nervous breakdown at the city council meeting.
http://galionlive.com/2012/07/24/council-votes-to-place-charter-on-ballot-in-emotional-meeting/
Next on the agenda ... city wide AMP meeting explaining to the rsidents how the city signed up for over 145,000,000 million dollars in contracts plus interest with AMP in 2007. Galion population was only 10,000 citizens in 2010 and has dropped considerably since then. Every single resident is on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars ... NEVER ONCE VOTED by the citizens here.
7:12am, explain further. What exactly did Lori do to try to end the Steel Mansion? Don't throw out accusations that people might falsely believe. Throw out some specifics.
7:12 Please explain although I watched her through all this and what her views were. I'm not about to be blamed for "putting words in her mouth" Again...
about the blog, don't know who writes it,don't care and is alot of work and is a great means for citizens to express their views, which I commend someone for, otherwise some spouse would sit across from a kitchen table and hear it. Debate is what this country represents.
Look at Syria and Iran, appreciate what you have. Have a good night.
This is 7:12, what you didn't watch all the give and give some more? Viewed on the televised council meetings? Take the time to read the minutes. Lori DiNallo was opposed to that family ever turning that building into a business. She discouraged them constantly with her comments and questions.. We all watched this and the reason why. He was sitting in the audience at ever meeting. Her pig roast buddy the son of all the unrest.
I have heard rumblings that she and one or two others would like to revisit what the planning board approved. She ended up looking the fool after objecting to so many items along with concerns layed out in from of council. In true Lori style she proceeds to vote yes after all the song dance routine. Leaving many of us to wonder.
I personally cant wait to see all that Ms DiNallo questioned over the Steele Mansion turn to be true. I will laugh and laugh at how everyone jumped on the bandwagon without truly thinking the plan thru. I only hope it's remembered that she took the side that she did when everyone's complaining of how much time,money,and peace amongst the community was spent promoting the Shumachian's misrepresented pipedream.
3:28 If all this you believe top be true, why in God's name did Mrs.DiNallo vote YES?
The question you should be asking is not what the family promoted. Who at city hall allowed them promoted the dream?
Galion sometimes I read this stuff coming from your city and think I must be looking in a mirror. Please if this statement I'm about to make is wrong someone from there please correct me.
I have tried to figure out why your community seems to be more on top of this than others. I have been told your city is under state control receivership due to the fact an offical in your city embezzeled a large some of money. This person even failed at ending his own life and the city is even stuck with his medical bills as well as paying his retirement?
Your town has less population than Painesville and very little industry. You purchased more power from Prairie State than you need. Some of the people who run your town believing that you would make a killing financially on selling excess power. If all this is true and the good people of your town have been put through all this the only plus coming out of all this is that these screwy dealing have made you stay on your toes. Painesville on the other hand will keep truckin down the road until a day comes when the lights won't go on.
I don't think people are upset at the way you don't "spin" the stories, it is your style of communication that always leaves everyone wondering what we don't know. A make believe example would be if as a neighbor I walked up to you and said " thought you might like to know I was driving down liberty street yesterday and saw your 16 year old daughter with some of her friends standing in front of Liberty Bar".
Now think about how many different negative ways could people spin a different story with that little fact?
Yes Galion has been in fiscal emergency for years due to fraud, embezzlement and complete mismanagement.
The main problem was directly related to AMP ... for over 18 months the wholesale bill to AMP - OHIO was never paid. The then city manger claimed that he never once received an email, letter or phone call from AMP - Ohio regarding where their money was.
AMP - OHIO never once came to a city council meeting during that time and DEMANDED payment. Somebody owes me 6,000,000 dollars I want to know where my money is .. they never did.
YES, we have some highly educated people in the community as well as former residents that have investigated these contracts and have raised the red flags since they were signed.
Those that are in power now REFUSE to answer why GALION signed up for 250% more power than the community needed then.
WE WILL GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS
4:09 Interesting analog, but as they say the devil is in the details. I would hope that it I just saw a neighbors daughter and friends standing outside Liberty Bar first I would give them the benefit of the doubt. Stopped to tie her shoes, just passing by ect. I like to think I only would tell you if she was sitting in the bar having a drink, and let you follow up from there.
I'm a lot more careful then you might believe.
The one good person Galion has on city council is Roberta Wade ...
An attorney that is not affraid to answer the questions and then demand the answers.
She helped to blow the whistle ... leading to the COINGATE scandal in Ohio several years ago .. lost her job with the state over that .. Governor TAFT had her fired ...
http://www.wmfd.com/local-news/single.asp?story=51361
Galion. So your city owed 6 million dollars and AMP-OHIO and no one knew? Amazing. This company must be held accountable somehow.
COINGATE looks trifle. Compared to
AMPGATE.
So they claim ....
Galion does hold the state record for fiscal emegencies ...
Over 11 million dollars ... and these AMP contracts are burying us deeper into it.
http://www.auditor.state.oh.us/services/lgs/fiscalwatch/LocalGovernments.pdf
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