Response to Rosenthal’s Council Corner – http://dailytidings.com/opinion/guest-opinion/council-corner-the-worst-thing-about-the-recall
Shouldn’t our elected official be focused on trying to make Ashland a better place for all to live, not settling petty scores. What I find most troubling about our current city government is its outright contemptuous attitude toward its citizenry. This is on display in Rich Rosenthal’s recent article in which he flogs those behind the recall effort last spring. While I didn’t vote for the recall, feeling it was too extreme a reaction for what had happened, those citizens who led it obviously felt very strongly and probably received little to no response from the city suggesting possible remedies to mitigate their feelings. They lost and while I agree with the outcome, I empathize with the frustration those involved must have felt.
I’ve seen an arrogance and disregard for citizen’s concerns time and again with our current city representatives. Their attitude is “don’t bother us because we know best” and “80% of Ashlanders aren’t paying attention anyway, so we can do what we want”. If you do try and raise awareness of an issue, you are dismissed and if you persist, you are labelled, called a troublemaker or demonized, as is the case with those behind the recall.
While half our councilors simply “go along”, we have a small oligarchy in place, making all decisions, with virtually no oversight and fiscally, they are running us into the ground. It’s therefore, a bit rich (no pun intended) that Rich Rosenthal is concerned over the expenditure of $24,581 when he has voted time and again to tax and spend on an enormous scale involving tens of millions of dollars since elected to the Ashland City Council in 2012.
Rich says he can’t believe that none of those behind the recall are running for office this fall. I can tell Rich why Ashland’s best won’t run for Council or any city position….because they know they’d be a lone voice, bullied by the few in power, into submission. Who would ever do that voluntarily? Unless, of course, they have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo or they need the Cadillac health insurance plan that comes with the job.
Anonymous due to fear of retribution
