So New Smyrna Beach, now that we have entered a New Year, how is all that KumBaya, touchy feely, back slapping, everything is just great if you believe in us garbage being touted by the tag team of Mayor Adam Barringer and City Manager Pam Brangaccio working out for you?
For all of their speeches about economic development, and the thousand of man-hours of jaw jacking spent on the same, costing you and me tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money, not one non-tax supporting job has been created in their first full year. Not One!
Oh, and don't let them try to sell you on the fact that they brought in the new Super Wal-Mart.
Did you enjoy the tax increase that was pushed through by the city manager in her her first year, during what can only be called a depression? They allowed for the "wants of the few to come before the needs of the many."
Did you enjoy their limiting your right to openly speak and get answers to your questions at the city commission meetings? Are you ready to have the city take over your water and sewer services/facilities, which will surely triple or quadruple your utility bill for these services "that you own by the way."
Two elected officials and the city manager are behind this move! Are you as a citizen/ratepayer ready to pay $40 million-plus per year or more in additional water rates/fees? This is what they are presently working on driving forward.
Again, two elected officials and the city manager are behind this one also! Are you ready to have the city commission take over control of the property west of I-95, putting tens of millions of dollars "of our money" under their control.
Let me remind you that these are the same folks that wasted our surplus away.
Yet again, two elected officials and the city manager are behind this! If you're interested in learning who is driving this all forward, then demand the answers from your elected and appointed officials. And finally, have you had enough of all of the lies being generated by the city manager and other city staff, supported and condoned by certain elected officials, who ironically are also being lied to and misled? Talk about being stuck on stupid.
As I see it from the perch, unless you get your heads out of you know where, and start coming to the meetings and asking your elected and appointed officials difficult questions, demanding answers to the same, then things are only going to get worse, and you know what, you deserve it for letting it continue to happen to you.
In the meantime, we'll continue to keep an eye on things from the perch. Until then, Bob Tolley