Published: May 07, 2008 12:53 pm            

Observations of Gun Barrel City’s political forum

Dear editor,

Robert Reeves did his usual great job and is a class act. But speaking of acts, it’s a shame the nose didn’t grow when some of the candidates put on their act.

The following are strictly my opinions. I believe we are legally allowed to still have them.

The question to the incumbent mayor included a long list of supposed accomplishments then asked what more he hopes to do.

If the incumbent mayor actually did all he was credited with he would not have been known as the “absent” mayor. One wonders who wrote that question.

One of the other mayoral candidates said he was against additional tax. The last time he ran for council, he indicated the ad valorem tax would solve all the city’s ills. What brought about his “about face?”

He also says he would bring unity to the council. Of course he will, by no longer being a council member.

The third candidate is truly unknown in the political arena, which can be a plus. Sometimes an unknown may be better then those, whose actions are well known.

At times with professionals running things it can turn into Enron, or the Dallas City Council. i.e. Integrity or professionalism? A good question.

On to the candidates for council. How obvious was that question about council involvement? If it wasn’t for two of the council members, GBC would not have had a christmas parade for the last three years.

In the East, you have one that has lived in the area for 10 years without ever being on a committee, city board or attending a city council meeting.

Now all of a sudden he thinks people should get involved. He stated several things about the EDC, a committee he has nothing in common with except maybe the ex-EDC officer, who is his strong supporter. In 10 years, I wonder if he has ever been inside city hall.

The other candidate has been his POA vice president and president(try volunteering for this job in your area) works with special children and attends the city council meetings, he gets involved with his community.

On the West, one candidate is about the same as far as little involvement is concerned, except he sits on the EDC board. However when an EDC question at the last council meeting came up, he did not offer any input, even though he was the only member present.

Also, it seems a previous application to sit on the EDC board was rejected for lack of a primary city residence, regardless of his grandfather’s efforts in local politics.

The other guy is the vice president for his POA, again a worker.

He also attends Council meetings and speaks up for what he believes is right, and is willing to point out possible problems.

Fellow voters, there is defiantly a difference in lip service and action. You can swallow the same old can of worms or you can get in new blood, hopefully they can’t be any worse than the old.

This is only a opinion, you can have yours and finally I can say mine.

Patsy Block

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.