Well honeybunch, things in the Asylum by the Sea are moving along apace this summer. Many, many of those “things” hafta do with kopecks or the lack of them, or how the lack of them has caused further problems. Needless to say that herroner is up to her bicuspids in problems and there ain’t too many ways to extricate the city or the taxpayers.
Of course, the biggest news of the week is that the Municipal Accountability Review Board – that panel of experts that’s supposed to lead us outta the financial desert we’ve been in for three decades – is now setting us up for a total take-over. Whilst the discussion is couched in “we really don’t want to do this, but.” The fack is the panel wants control. That is becoming more and more apparent.
As Sammy Bluejay told us a few weeks back, this is a group that don’t wanna deal with the political process or with people that hafta deal with the political process. These are boys and girls who’re used to doing things their own way, and aren’t interested in give-and-take.
Sammy was over discussing this t’other afternoon, and mentioned that it was rich that a panel of the state, which has its own financial hole to dig out of, is telling us we don’t have the “political will” to get our act together. Now, we can debate on the decisions of the past, and there is plenty o’ blame to go around, but the fact is this group of experts thinks they’re giving us tough love. What they are setting us up for is a mass exodus…just like the entire state.
What Cobina fears – and what will probably happen – is the panel will put us into Tier IV status, take over the finances of the city, and decimate the city and the tax base even further. You can see it jest in the way they talked to herroner, and just the way they framed the entire discussion. Like our esteemed editor sez in today’s editorial, it took us 30 years to get here, and five years ain’t enuff time to get us out.
So, effen Cobina was a bettin’ woman, she’d say by this time next year, the MARB will have complete control of City Hall and the finances. It will impose its will on us, and we will see For Sale signs popping up like sooooo many mushrooms after a storm. A bad problem will get worse.
My only wonder is effen the former Hizzoner thought about these things when he pushed for bonding on the city’s deficit. Given past history, probably not: Law of Unintended Consequences.
Just to circle back, much of the problem has to do with pensions, not only for the Allingtown Fire Dept. – or whatever they call it nowadays – but for the city in general. Yew and I talked about this years ago when the City Council took advantage of a then-new law that allowed the city’s to bond to bring their pension funds up to full funding. The caveat was the city’s had to fully fund thereafter or do it within five years.
Well, those five years have come and gone at least twice over and we didn’t fully fund ‘em, which was a violation of the law. But, then again, so is deficit budgeting and everyone seems to do that. Sooooo, a problem that we paid through the nose to solve was never solved and comes back to bite us years late. Go figger.
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I see from the local papyrus that the union representing City Workers has filed an OSHA complaint that is probably gonna put us behind yet another eight-ball. Herroner was hoping that time locks on the lavatories down there would be a convenience. It is becoming not only inconvenient, but downright unhealthy.
Given the night creatures that seem to gravitate down there after dark, mischief seems to be the order of the day. I guess commodes were stopped up and waste water was everywhere and the places had to be professionally handled with power hoses and the like.
See above about Unintended Consequences. Herroner was t+++++
rying to save money by not having to pay overtime. Instead, money we don’t have is gonna be used to clean rest rooms that are defiled by the vermin that seem to crawl about there after dark. We’ve known for years about the sub-culture that seems to swarm there in the wee hours, but we seem to forget for a time, and then have it pushed in our face.
It might be that she will hafta bite the bullet on this one as a “penny wise, pound foolish” moment. It just might be better if we have someone on duty to do what needs to be done so that people who like to make mischief can’t do their mischief. We shall see what transpires.
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We got a note from a reader this week, questioning Cobina’s assertion that Eminent Domain wasn’t used in the purchase of properties for the Haven. This reader seemed to think it happened twice. I don’t seem to remember that, Felicia, do yew remember?
The resolution passed a couple weeks back did not seem to push the Eminent Domain button as the tracts were all purchased by the development company. I seem to remember that ED was threatened, but not imposed. Nobody wanted to see the Kelo decision used in this berg. That decision as one of the woist the Supreme Court ever came up with, and maybe that decision will be revisted.
Tennyrate, effen yew can find out whether it was imposed I’d be much appreciative, cuz my gray matter doesn’t seem to recall it.
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Jest a short inquiry: have yew hoid anything about Merlie Mae lately? Cobina heard she was in a recovery hospital follying her injuries and complications after the house fire of about two months ago. Trying to find out anything has been difficult. We certainly hope she’s doing OK and want her to know that her friends are bucking for her.
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Are Sens. Blumenthal and Murphy serious or are they just toadies of the Demmies? Never mind, we know they ain’t serious, cuz effen they are, they’re in need of a padded cell and tightly fitting jacket. Blumenthal, who has a penchant for melodrama, has gone off the deep end with his criticism of the President, whilst Murphy, who is probably one o’ those Democratic Socialists we hear much about these days, just can’t wait to git in front of a camera.
Both are totally embarrassing, but not to themselves. They don’t have mirrors in their bathrooms so they certainly don’t see themselves as others do. Effen they did they’d measure their words a bit differently. But lying is not something that is foreign to either one of them. They didn’t get where they are by being forthright and honest.
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Iva Lootey passed by the Shoreline Fest last Thursday night and said the thing was not operating. There was some faux pas or t’other. We got a call in the office from a reader who let us know about it hours before. They seemed to think the state constabulary got involved, though no one knows why. Does anything ever go right in this burg? One could be permitted to doubt it.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,