Louise - What Would Uncle John Say?
The following are comments I gave during the debate over the FY2009 Salisbury city budget at Monday night’s City Council meeting:
I had not planned on coming to speak this evening. However, I had a job in Lewes this morning and on my way home I found myself driving on the John J. Williams Highway. It’s quite possible that no one here except for Louise and I know who John J. Williams was.
Sen. John Williams served the people of Delaware in the United States Senate from 1949 until his voluntary retirement from elected office in 1970. He was also, if I am not mistaken, Louise’s uncle.
Sen. Williams was truly a giant. He was a true conservative of the old school. He believed in free markets, rather than government subsidy; a man who TRULY believed in limited government and the separation of powers. He fought waste, corruption and bureaucracy wherever he found it. Sen. John Williams was one of the greatest fiscal watchdogs of the 20th century.
Upon passage of this budget tonight, I wonder what the Senator would say? I am quite confident that he would be ashamed, both of his kin and her cohorts.
Why? For two reasons.
First, this budget is rank with rotten food to nourish the bureaucracy of this administration. When more money is spent on the Mayor’s office than on street repair one can only conclude EITHER that there are no potholes in the city of Salisbury OR that the administration AND a majority of this council care more about some sick sense of power than on serving the citizens who elected them.
When this council CHOOSES to spend $100,000 more on legal expenses than the much larger county government does, this is a symptom of a disease that will wreck this city. When this administration CANNOT even balance its own checkbook, and a majority of this council refuses to address the problem, this city sits on a precipice from which the fall is most likely fatal.
Second, and most importantly, this council takes the final step tonight in ceding ALL meaningful power to the Executive. Legislation, which should be more accurately called Mayoral Dictate, is done by RUBBER STAMP. There is no oversight because a majority of this council falsely claims that such oversight would be MICROMANAGING the city. And tonight, a majority of this council will approve what they claim to be a “PROGRAM BUDGET”. This budget provides for no authority of this council to stop the mayor from spending TAXPAYER funds in almost any way she sees fit.
When Mr. Comegys tells the public, through the Daily Times, that specific cuts were made in the budget he is being false. The simple fact is that you have only reduced the gross amount of money that the Mayor can spend. She can still hand out the raises you claimed were cut. She can still have her “Citizen Attitude Survey”. She can still have her T-Shirts and fancy bottles of water. She just has to give up spending $40,000 somewhere else.
The charter calls for a Mayor and a City Council for a reason. The council is to provide checks and balances to the power of a strong mayor. Unfortunately for the citizens of this once fine city, they have three of you to thank for waking up tomorrow living under an authoritarian regime.
Legislative bodies have taken up arms to prevent the usurpation of the people’s branch of government (and that is what you are supposed to be) which you three have handed over gladly. I wonder Louise. What would Sen. Williams say?
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