Fool me once!

Everyone has heard the old phrase, “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice”… Well, shame on who?
It’s getting clearer and less fuzzy on who’s fooling who after leaving the Town Council meetings for the past one and a half years. The smoke is clearing! Supposedly our current mayor is doing a lot of work and proves it at every meeting, reading every letter and every proposal. Granted some of these need to be read. An example would be the current Capp lawsuit against the town of Stevensville concerning land issues at our town park and outlying sewer site. This is something that was drawn up years ago and has come to a head for whatever reasons. Either the town of Stevensville or the Capps did not honor an agreement when the water/sewer project was and is being updated. And since I’m on the topic of the water/sewer project, at the last council meeting we were notified we are over budget on the sewer project; yes, again! This sewer project (I believe it is Phrase II) needs another $650,000 at 2.25% to keep the “boneless brown trout” flowing freely. So I would guess our sewer rates that are already high will rise again!
To repeat to our fine citizens of Stevensville: our mayor is receiving an additional $1200 a month overseeing this project plus his stipend of $400 a month. This $1200 is to keep the college educated engineers in check (see last year’s council notes). Several times he has been asked by myself when does this “extra bonus” go away? No answer that I can recall. Now, I am a 20+ railroad welder who had to adhere to many, many budgets. I do not ever remember a supervisor getting a bonus for a job that was so grossly over the original estimate! And yes, we all know things happen. No one can predict exact true cost of any project, be it small or large, whether it’s a water/sewer project, or let’s say sidewalks.
Wait… the oldest town in Montana doesn’t have many of these to be proud of, unless they are in a new subdivision. Oh, except the main street. But main street is special. Go to a town council meeting and they will tell you. Or read one fellow council member’s recent “touts” of their success!
And congrats to the town for having audits, financial reports and books in order. And also the water/sewer upgrades, well, that is still in question. Aren’t the books, audits, etc. supposed to be in order? Isn’t that the main function of our town hall, to keep Stevensville afloat? The letter makes it sound as if this is something new and improved and has never been done before. “Things seem to be running pretty well,” quoted from a council member. Sorry, councilor, but these should all be normal day to day functions that every town should be on top of.
According to a guest editorial directed at me (date Sept. 7, 2014), you clearly stated that I had not attended many town council meetings, when a town clerk and lawyer had to be present to make decisions for the town. This you say cost the town thousands of dollars. Yes, that was then and this is now. I am involved and have been for some time. You also wrote, “after all these years of no one doing much at town hall.” What a stab in the back to all the hard working folks in Stevi! And I also agree, the town population and limits have spread. Town duties have grown to the point that the current mayor’s job “seems” to be a full-time job and that there are just not enough hours in a day to get it all done. The mayor likes to micro-manage and you can only do that if you are involved in everything, most of the everything are things he is NOT required to do (just a little tidbit).
Which brings me to an informative power-point presentation at the last town council meeting on March 12, 2015. This presentation was presented by council member, Jim Crews, on the separation of powers between the mayor and town councils of Montana (depending on their size). This was done in part for the Resolution 365, adopting the Personnel Policy for the town of Stevensville. His presentation was taken from the Montana Codes of State Law, folks. His purpose, I believe after listening and watching it, was very clear. The presentation was so much simpler to follow, read and the guidelines easier to adhere to. But, our current mayor had his own Personnel Policy already written and after tabling it at the last council meeting, it was brought up again (second reading), and he was not to be denied. I have noticed and I know others have that there are two council members that vote in his favor no matter what the agenda is. If an individual was to go back to council minutes, these two “special” council members will vote in his favor over 90% of the time. It does not seem to matter how many public comments are not in his favor (the mayor has no vote, but can break a tie). Convenient? His own agenda?
So, is it the mayor’s job or council members as a group to write a new Personnel Policy? Personally, I do not think the mayor has this right. Doesn’t make any sense to me that one person has that much power. Either way, the mayor knew going into that meeting that it was going to be in his favor. The audience also asked that the absent council member be in attendance for a vote to decide on Resolution 365. (I can’t stress how important this was).
Last but not least, some of our sidewalks are way past being repaired, also we have many streets where sidewalks cannot be found. (I have been told a slush fund was set aside for repairs.) Walk down Mission and Charlo, see any sidewalks? There are remnants of some years ago, even one dated 1948! Mothers, kids, walkers, skateboarders have to walk, ride their little bikes, or skate in the streets (no mention of this on council member “touts” of success). If someone is hit by a vehicle, who is responsible? The person walking on private property or the person walking on the town streets? Time and time again we hear how our town sidewalks and streetlights are a priority but it falls among deaf ears.
And please don’t tell me I have not gone to many council meetings. And don’t tell me I do not know what is going on in our town. And finally, please don’t have another person write a guest editorial when it is clear who wrote it. If you have something to say, look in the mirror and ask yourself, “I can do this, I don’t have to run to the mayor and get his approval first, do I?”
Bob Michalson
Stevensville