It's Your City, Protect It!

by Ron West

        It is kind of strange to endorse the slogan of the incumbents but it seems so important and so true!  It is our city and it is important for us to protect it.  The question then becomes - Protect it from what?

            See if you agree with the need to protect it from:

            1.    Closed dictatorial government.

            2.    Disrespect of citizens by elected officials.

            3.    Special deals for friends and associates of the council.

            4.    Walking quorums by the City Council to avoid open meetings.

            5.    Total disregard of private property rights by City Council and city staff.

            6.    Illegal ordinances that are illegally enforced.

            7.    Misinformation or deliberate lies in city publications.

            8.    Slanderous information published about anyone who disagrees with the city.

            9.    Violations of Open Meetings Laws.

           10.    Runaway spending without oversight by elected officials.

           11.    Holding the tax rate to continually increase taxes - done over the past 12 years and planned to be continued for next 5 years at least.

           12.    Using tax money for all citizens outside Hometown NRH to pay for city services for Hometown NRH residents.

           13.    Malicious attacks on anyone who speaks in opposition before the city council.

           14.    Illegal electioneering - using city publications and council meetings to fight anything that reduces city revenues!

           15.    Conflicts of interest such as the City Attorney having an incentive to get the city sued.

           16.    New ordinances developed in secret and then voted on by the City Council without prior publication or discussion.

           17.    A budget process that excludes all citizen input.

           18.    Elected officials that call any opposition "political terrorists", "liars" and "incompetents".

           19.    Elected officials that do not think anyone is "smart enough" to understand their "accounting".

           20.    Elected officials that have said publicly that we didn't understand how to vote properly.       

           21.    Borrowing $21 Million without voter approval.

           22.    Illegal and immoral destruction of city records - multiple times.

           23.    Having your son killed two seconds after the city police knock down your door with a "knowingly false" warrant.

           24.    Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on attorney fees to defend wrongful actions by city employees!

           25.    Using tax money to destroy private property (i.e., cutting down pole signs with city funds but no budget authorization.)

           26.    A citizen and business unfriendly environment with obnoxious policies by city staff.

           27.    Destruction of the third ranked library in the state for cities our size under the pretense that such destruction is required by the expansion of Highway 820.  (Highway expansion will take a few parking spaces but leave the building fully functional and intact.)

           28.    Revitalization of the city without regard for existing citizens, businesses and property rights.

           29.    Commitments to implementing incomplete (and very biased) studies.

           30.    Money hungry politicians who are even talking about encouraging Toll Booths as a method of expanding 820.

           31.    Creation of tax increment financing districts (with more planned) to siphon off $85 Million to pet projects without voter input or approval.

    There are additional things that need protecting like honesty in government and courtesy to the citizens but this list will at least provide food for thought.  The incumbents apparently came up with this slogan to make you think that you need to protect the city from your fellow citizens who have made the sacrifice of their time to run for city council.  Their rhetoric would make you believe that I - Ron West - am some sinister fellow who controls the challengers - but I really don't.  If you meet and talk with them, you will find they are your neighbors and would like to be your friends.  I do strongly endorse the need for the challengers to be elected because the above list represents what our current incumbents want us to accept as the "values of NRH".  I think that truth, honesty, openness and respect for each other would be the real values all of us want to see in NRH rather than the vicious attacks launched by the incumbents on anyone who disagrees with them on anything.

    The decision is in your hands and each of you have equal power with everyone else.  Each vote counts!

    Please consider the above list of things that we need to protect the city from and help do something about it by voting for:

Suzette Christopher, John Martin, Maury Siskel and Kerry West for NRH City Council in the upcoming election. 

Please Remember to Vote Saturday, May 7th!