Last year the City, and all those really smart people down at the Chamber of Commerce told us that a vote in favor of the tax increase they were proposing was in fact, a vote for the future of Topeka. They told us it was the only way the city could afford to fix the streets that had been allowed to deteriorate to the point of almost no return.
No, I don’t blame those of you who bought into the whole “Save the Streets” campaign they were selling. We’d all been dodging Topeka’s now famous potholes for what seemed like forever. The stories of ruined tires, broken wheels, and visits to local alignment shops were out there everywhere. Enough of you believed in them and trusted that they’d do the right thing, so you voted the way you did. But I do have to ask one question to ask. How’s that working out for you?
Evidently, City Manager, Norton Bonaparte and Mayor, Bill Bunten have decided the promise to fix the streets wasn’t actually a promise to fill the potholes that have become an embarrassment to all of us who call Topeka home. Now they’re claiming the vote was one in favor of major infrastructure projects and was never intended to include the car swallowing potholes that cover almost every major street in this city. Whatever.
Mr. Mayor, I realize my opinion probably isn‘t all that important to you, but just the same, I’m going to throw it out there anyway, because, well, that‘s what I do. Anyway, you really need to stop and listen to someone besides, Jeff Preisner, and Norton Bonaparte for a change. And I really don’t care to hear any more about the way you and your crew interpret what the voters were voting on either. You haven’t found some magic loophole that’s going to allow you to renege on the promises you made. It’s time to drop the charade.
Mr. Mayor, do you remember how badly you beat your opponent, Jeff Preisner in the last election? Have you ever wondered why so many people supported you over him? It’s pretty simple really, it was because we trusted you. We trusted that you’d do the right thing.
Mr. Mayor, the ball’s in your court. It’s time to stop playing games and prove to us once and for all that that trust wasn’t misplaced…
Kevin McGinty
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Solo Expedition...
I haven't really talked about it much but every other weekend I usually head out by myself. It's usually the day I seek out new fis...
John Arnold was right many months ago when he said that the city should have borrowed the money and fixed the potholes when the recession was at its worst. It would have been our own little stimulus, and the tax was in place.
ReplyDeleteI didn't hold my breath. I just went ahead and started patching the holes in the ninteen-hundred block of SE Ohio anyway. Here's how I did it. No joke. Dropped a twenty-pound limestone rock right inside the biggest hole. Filled it up about halfway. Then I shoveled in the gravel and asphalt that had popped out and spread around. Finally, I dumped the ashes from my smoker on top and watered it down. The traffic packed it down and this sun is baking it hard as clay. It'll be interesting to see how it holds up when the rains come back. Works pretty well on the smaller ones too. You just don't need a big starter rock.
Thanks for stopping by, Fred. It's funny how all my critics on Cj are absent on this one.
ReplyDeleteThe only time they're interested in getting in the conversation is when I write about something really controversial. And most of the time, I'm more than happy to give it to em. Lol...