We reported in September that the Town was planning to close Higgins Road for 3 days to replace a culvert. We suggested at the time that this was not a good idea as it obviously placed residents on the far side in jeopardy and would negatively impact on businesses isolated as well. Council's reason for closing Higgins Road completely was because it was cheaper than keeping one side of the roads open while the other side was worked on.
In typical Tomlinson/Proudfoot 4 style, that was of no concern. Remember folks, as a reward to the Proudfoot property owner associations who contributed to their campaigns, the Proudfoot 4 promised to cut property taxes at any cost. The property tax rate was reduced in 2011 and again in 2012, which left the town unable to meet its operating needs in 2011 and forced Council to take $627,000 out of Reserves.
With the Proudfoot Four still forcing tax cuts 2012 opened with the Town of Kearney running another $600,000 deficit. You do the math and that leaves very little left in the original $1.5 million Reserves. Council desperately needed to find ways to trim the 2012 Budget. And they did. They cut the roads reconstruction budget for 2012 and 2013 (contrary to the 2007 “Roads Needs Study”) to save $500,000.
So, to save a few dollars by completely closing Higgins Road for 3 days, Mayor Paul Tomlinson and his Proudfoot gang, including Jim Skelton, who leads the Capital Management Committee, not only placed residents in jeopardy but they hurt affected businesses and our struggling economy. All to save a buck. (Are you surprised?)
Not to worry, Mayor Tomlinson says. According to the Almaguin News article of November 15, 2012, Page 11:
In typical Tomlinson/Proudfoot 4 style, that was of no concern. Remember folks, as a reward to the Proudfoot property owner associations who contributed to their campaigns, the Proudfoot 4 promised to cut property taxes at any cost. The property tax rate was reduced in 2011 and again in 2012, which left the town unable to meet its operating needs in 2011 and forced Council to take $627,000 out of Reserves.
With the Proudfoot Four still forcing tax cuts 2012 opened with the Town of Kearney running another $600,000 deficit. You do the math and that leaves very little left in the original $1.5 million Reserves. Council desperately needed to find ways to trim the 2012 Budget. And they did. They cut the roads reconstruction budget for 2012 and 2013 (contrary to the 2007 “Roads Needs Study”) to save $500,000.
So, to save a few dollars by completely closing Higgins Road for 3 days, Mayor Paul Tomlinson and his Proudfoot gang, including Jim Skelton, who leads the Capital Management Committee, not only placed residents in jeopardy but they hurt affected businesses and our struggling economy. All to save a buck. (Are you surprised?)
Not to worry, Mayor Tomlinson says. According to the Almaguin News article of November 15, 2012, Page 11:
“One letter, written by a local resort owner, indicated that she was told by Mayor Tomlinson and the president of the Grass and Loon Lake association that she would be taken care of, and that they were entitled to compensation, enclosing an invoice of more than $800.”
“Tomlinson denies that he told any resident that they would receive compensation for the inconvenience.”
“[A] second letter alleges that the town had an 'obligation and duty' legally to leave access to the homes which was ignored. The resident invoiced the town $1,400 and added $28 in interest at 2 percent.”
In addition to placing the public in jeopardy and negatively impacting businesses, the actions of Mayor Tomlinson regarding this matter are so inappropriate as to be astounding.
1) Mayor Tomlinson allegedly promises compensation. The Mayor does not have authority to make that promise and such a promise, without Council approval, is a misappropriation of Town funds.
2) Mayor Tomlinson denies making that promise. Well, I don’t think we have to convince anyone, except maybe the Mayor himself, that Mayor Tomlinson is known to lie whenever and wherever it is convenient to do so.
3) Mayor Tomlinson with Ron Duff, president of the Grass and Loon Lakes Residents Group, are quoted as promising “…that she would be taken care of”. The question here is what council does Tomlinson belong to? The elected Council of the Town of Kearney or the quasi-council that really got the Mayor and his Proudfoot 4 elected: The Council of the Grass and Loon Lakes Residents Group?
4) Mayor Tomlinson completely ignored the needs of disabled residents callously putting some of Kearney's most vulnerable in jeopardy and causing them severe hardship.
Well, we say to the Proudfoot voters: You have been had.
Proudfoot voters allowed the dissolution of the Kearney wards system which allowed the Grass and Loon Lakes Residents Group and the Sand Lake and Area Property Owners Association, and a handful of those you trusted, to seize control of the Town. Sainsbury and Dingwall, supported by Tomlinson and Wadsworth, orchestrated the dissolution of the wards and lo and behold all four now control the current Council. Probably just a coincidence.
Town Council (2010 – 2014) now comprises a majority of Proudfoot members who ignore the real needs of the Town of Kearney and its residents, both seasonal and full-time, rewards their campaign manager and supporters by waiving fees and environmental assessments, reduces taxes while driving Kearney into financial ruin, and paying for a $100,000/year CBO to manage $25,000/year in building permits, while bullying and harassing the elderly and the poor through phony septic system inspections in the hope it will generate revenue by finding Building Code violations. All the while, the Proudfoot elite enjoy tax cuts on their waterfront properties and insist the Proudfoot Four are "a breath of fresh air."
In September, Council voted in a resolution asking Mayor Tomlinson to resign. He refused. Apparently he is not finished doing the damage that the Proudfoot Associations voted him in to do. The resignation request from Council may have been partially in response to a petition with approximately 200 Kearney signatures, submitted to the Town, asking the Mayor to get rid of the prohibitive costs of a full time CBO ($100,000/year) and return the town to a shared CBO service ($35,000/year), or resign. There was no direct response from the Town or the Mayor. (Are you surprised?)
At the same meeting in September, Council voted to “censure” Mayor Tomlinson. This is merely an official reprimand but Council does have the authority to curtail the Mayor's activities. For starters, we would again respectfully suggest that Mayor Tomlinson be prohibited from talking to the media and from issuing any written or oral statements while representing his Office as Mayor, without prior Council approval. If Council took this small action, we would not be reading about Mayor Paul Tomlinson’s lies, false promises, and unilateral actions, and the continuing negative shadow the Mayor casts upon the Town of Kearney.
Well, we say to the Proudfoot voters: You have been had.
Proudfoot voters allowed the dissolution of the Kearney wards system which allowed the Grass and Loon Lakes Residents Group and the Sand Lake and Area Property Owners Association, and a handful of those you trusted, to seize control of the Town. Sainsbury and Dingwall, supported by Tomlinson and Wadsworth, orchestrated the dissolution of the wards and lo and behold all four now control the current Council. Probably just a coincidence.
Town Council (2010 – 2014) now comprises a majority of Proudfoot members who ignore the real needs of the Town of Kearney and its residents, both seasonal and full-time, rewards their campaign manager and supporters by waiving fees and environmental assessments, reduces taxes while driving Kearney into financial ruin, and paying for a $100,000/year CBO to manage $25,000/year in building permits, while bullying and harassing the elderly and the poor through phony septic system inspections in the hope it will generate revenue by finding Building Code violations. All the while, the Proudfoot elite enjoy tax cuts on their waterfront properties and insist the Proudfoot Four are "a breath of fresh air."
In September, Council voted in a resolution asking Mayor Tomlinson to resign. He refused. Apparently he is not finished doing the damage that the Proudfoot Associations voted him in to do. The resignation request from Council may have been partially in response to a petition with approximately 200 Kearney signatures, submitted to the Town, asking the Mayor to get rid of the prohibitive costs of a full time CBO ($100,000/year) and return the town to a shared CBO service ($35,000/year), or resign. There was no direct response from the Town or the Mayor. (Are you surprised?)
At the same meeting in September, Council voted to “censure” Mayor Tomlinson. This is merely an official reprimand but Council does have the authority to curtail the Mayor's activities. For starters, we would again respectfully suggest that Mayor Tomlinson be prohibited from talking to the media and from issuing any written or oral statements while representing his Office as Mayor, without prior Council approval. If Council took this small action, we would not be reading about Mayor Paul Tomlinson’s lies, false promises, and unilateral actions, and the continuing negative shadow the Mayor casts upon the Town of Kearney.
No comments:
Post a Comment