tony jeter dot com

Click here to view a PDF of last week’s building permits.

Click here to view a PDF of last week’s building permits.

Click here to view the 32 abstention affidavits that have been filed to date by Councilman Schneider.

I’m am doing the Facebook thing now.  Please check out my page at Councilman Tony Jeter page.

The three video clips below are from a Council meeting back in October 2009. The topic being discussed was whether or not to allow the voters to have a say on whether or not Councilpeople should be able to do business with the City.  You can read the previous post to get my thoughts on the meeting.  After you watch the clips ask yourself this question. If there is really no support for a Charter change what risk is there in taking it to the voters?

Well the vote went as expected tonight. The opposition played it just like I thought they would.  My thoughts on how the vote went are below.

There is a group that seeks as much control as possible over this City. This is this same group that continually seeks to maintain tight control over all aspects of what goes on in this City. It is this same group that I have butted heads on a regular basis over the last 7+ years on numerous issues. This is the group that wants to control the City, the Council, its staff and City Boards and anything else that might impact the direction of this City.This is the group that won today.

It is a sad day for the citizens of Temple when their elected representatives shut down the chance for the very people that elected them to have a say on this important issue.  They rationalize their votes with a myriad of reasons all ultimately rooted in the truth that they know best and that the voters are not qualified or intelligent enough to decide this issue. This vote was not about doing business with the City. It was all about keeping the status quo.

It was obvious to me during the discussions that the Mayor and Councilmen Janczak and Schneider knew full well that if the proposed amendment would have passed had it gone to the voters. Both the Mayor and Councilman Janczak commented that this was not an appropriate way to amend the Charter. The vote was not about amending it, the vote was to sending to the voters.  “If there was really a groundswell of voter support for this issue it should be easy enough to mount a petition drive” Janczak stated.  Schneider commented that he had only had one call and two emails in support of the change.  Logically, one would assume that if there was no support for the amendment it would fail at the ballot box. So why not put the issue to bed once and for all and let the citizens vote it down?  Why sully a reputation over a non-issue that has no public support? Because everyone knew that the amendment would pass in a landslide - that’s why.

This brings us to the future. I have taken this as far as I am comfortable with. I do not think it would be appropriate for a sitting Councilman to launch a petition drive. I am also not going to beat a dead horse and keep harping on this issue.  I will support any effort to take it to the next level but I will not be leading the charge.  I will make one more post to this blog and then retire from blogging on City affairs. It has served its purpose and is the main reason I got as far as I did and I will leave it up for people to educate themselves on my thoughts on this conflict of interest issue. My last post will be a video of the discussion tonight for everyone’s viewing pleasure.

I have had several questions regarding the accuracy of the City website’s listing of Council people’s phone numbers….  From what I know the numbers listed are correct. You’ll just have to leave a message if they are not answering. Maybe some of them have plans that turn on the anonymous automated voice greeting if they receive too many calls.  Also, I am not comfortable disclosing the unlisted home phone numbers (for those that are unlisted).

….the article in Sunday’s Telegram struck a nerve with the voters or the Pro Selfers?

….phone calls can make a difference? Notice Mayor Pro-Tem’s comments in the article referenced above.

….supporters of the status quo will come up with all kinds of reasons why the voters should not be allowed to vote on this “silly” Charter amendment?

….that any sensible person really believes that a prohibition against elected officials doing business with the City will eliminate qualified people from running for office?  I mean really!  We live in a city of 60,000+ people - surely there must be one or two people that could run for office. FYI, only five elected officials have done business with the City since the ban was lifted 20 years ago. Three of the five are currently on the Council; the Mayor (quarry and steel), Councilman Schneider (dirt pushing and road paving) and yours truly (design services). How did we survive all those years pre-1989?

….that saving the City a couple hundred grand is really the issue here?  If it is really about what’s good for the City why not resign from the Council and remove the entire conflict of interest cloud from our midst? You know - that, “it may not look good but it’s legal”, grey mass that casts a long and dark shadow on the credibility of the Council.

….that practical politics consists of ignoring facts?

….the two members of the Council actually doing business with the City will vote no on the proposed Charter amendment thus depriving the citizens from having a say on this issue?

….that the “voters will approve anything”?

….that those that vote no will rationalize away their vote by stating that “if the public really had a problem with this, then they would’ve done a petition drive”?

We’ll have the answers to these questions soon enough.

Click here to view a PDF of last week’s building permits.

This got picked up today. All that’s left is the dead grass from where the trash sat for almost three weeks.  Interestingly, this did not get picked up today.  Both houses on the on the same street, North 3rd, and about a stones throw apart.  Hmmmmmmmmm…..