Hey folks forget the fact the City is broke and that it did not have enough money to keep the Fire Station on Highway 603 open late last year or that it ran naked for workers comp and wind insurance because it could not afford to pay renewal premiums because here comes Councilwoman Wendy McDonald and a few disengaged Ward 2 business owners that she has duped into advocating for another taxpayer funded handout in the form of free Trolley service for Ward 2.
Trolley enthusiasts push to keep service in the Bay ~ WLOX
The old town merchant that sent out the social media blast is someone I do not know. I attended a few of the budget workshops a couple of months ago – stalwarts like Lana Noonan and Libby Garcia of the Alliance for Good Government attended every one. The City was so tight for cash funding was eliminated from very worthy nonprofits like the Animal Shelter (The City still does fund an animal control officer, however.) It was very clear there would be nothing for the underused Trolley service whose highest and best use appears to be for locals to use for booze cruises. Not a single person appeared to speak up for the Trolley that I can remember.
Of course the reason the City is in so much financial trouble is because the budget in the past has been nothing more than a mere suggestion of how the City was really going to spend your tax money, thus we end up giving away free dumpster service to a couple of private Ward 2 restaurants. And anyone looking at the timing of the free dumpster service, what does it say about the City’s priorities that while private businesses in old town were getting free trash service a Fire Station was unstaffed and closed?
It is at this point that I’d like to remind my City Councilman Doug Seal of the tore up portion of Corinth Drive just around the corner from his house. I know he is aware of it because I see him from time to time negotiating the dirt bump on his bike. The street has been like that for a year now after a water line break but this is not the glamorous part of town so the street and infrastructure here were not repaired after the storm. When you view Trolleygaggin’ from that lens, Councilwoman McDonald comes across as parochial and selfish, especially since she had a chance to speak up and didn’t a few months back during budget time.
In other news the Mayor found out the hard way he could not withhold documents from the City Council per the AG’s opinion which was released this past week but it is clear from his remarks to the Seacoast Echo he is not buying into the transparency he is required to provide the council. But it is better than that folks because he is still threatening to move the council clerks in a bald face act of retaliation against the City Council for demanding access to the City’s public records.
Tuesday’s meeting should be fun and Slabbed will be there to broadcast it live on Periscope. Stay tuned.
