Candidate criticizes borough council appointment process
Columbian Joe Nikolaus was one of several candidates to run unsuccessfully for recently vacated council seats. Nikolaus offered the following assessment of the process and of council:
Thanks for your dedication Joe Nikolaus! It takes a man to express his feelings publicly on how these open Council seats are determined.
Maybe we should have a Town Hall Meeting to ask our Councilors questions on Columbia's future endeavors. Just like the Saturday's Press Conference, Stephanie Weisser may be the only one that shows up.
Maybe we can get Columbia Spy and Columbia News, Views and Reviews host this event in a neutral location. Where our favorite host blogs give the Councilors questions submitted by the citizens in the audience.
This would be good to clear the air and move forward on rumors that haunt the suspicious citizens.
Thanks Joe, for caring about Columbia enough to serve on the Zoning Committee and volunteer at the Historic Society. I'm so sorry that you were overlooked a second time for a seat on council. I wonder who will step forward to ask tough questions and watch our tax money when the older Columbians are gone. There are precious few left that care enough to get deeply involved.
Columbia's future endeavors are not for lifetime Columbians. They are for the elite that are moving into town. They are only worried about one thing, making things better for themselves and not the entire community. Watch what groups come for money in the 2017 budget --- the art studio in the 200 block of Locust, which already took around $6,000 from the borough to promote their own interests; Create Columbia, which use to be the do-nothing Columbia Downtown Economic Development Corporation; $50,000 for a new market manager, who is in the little clique that has been formed. Note previous managers were only paid in the range of $20,000 an worked more. Council is gonna forget the core needs of Columbia such as good streets and public safety. There's probably more, citizens need to speak up and get involved or that $11 million from the sale of the sewer plant will be gone for "wants" and not "needs" and we will all suffer in the pocket book.
Anyone who knows the make up of the "new" council knows that Novak and FitzGerald are friends of the leaders of council and the others, who were probably more qualified, never had a chance. Get involved, speak up and take back our town.
Thanks for your dedication Joe Nikolaus! It takes a man to express his feelings publicly on how these open Council seats are determined.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should have a Town Hall Meeting to ask our Councilors questions on Columbia's future endeavors. Just like the Saturday's Press Conference, Stephanie Weisser may be the only one that shows up.
Maybe we can get Columbia Spy and Columbia News, Views and Reviews host this event in a neutral location. Where our favorite host blogs give the Councilors questions submitted by the citizens in the audience.
This would be good to clear the air and move forward on rumors that haunt the suspicious citizens.
TidePride!
Thanks Joe, for caring about Columbia enough to serve on the Zoning Committee and volunteer at the Historic Society. I'm so sorry that you were overlooked a second time for a seat on council. I wonder who will step forward to ask tough questions and watch our tax money when the older Columbians are gone. There are precious few left that care enough to get deeply involved.
ReplyDeleteColumbia's future endeavors are not for lifetime Columbians. They are for the elite that are moving into town. They are only worried about one thing, making things better for themselves and not the entire community. Watch what groups come for money in the 2017 budget --- the art studio in the 200 block of Locust, which already took around $6,000 from the borough to promote their own interests; Create Columbia, which use to be the do-nothing Columbia Downtown Economic Development Corporation; $50,000 for a new market manager, who is in the little clique that has been formed. Note previous managers were only paid in the range of $20,000 an worked more. Council is gonna forget the core needs of Columbia such as good streets and public safety. There's probably more, citizens need to speak up and get involved or that $11 million from the sale of the sewer plant will be gone for "wants" and not "needs" and we will all suffer in the pocket book.
ReplyDeleteI just wonder what the final bill for the "trolley" (bus) service is going to be when it's all said and done.
DeleteAnyone who knows the make up of the "new" council knows that Novak and FitzGerald are friends of the leaders of council and the others, who were probably more qualified, never had a chance. Get involved, speak up and take back our town.
ReplyDelete