by Susan McCreary, Stevensville
What I am seeing and hearing about Stevensville’s Mayor and Town Council is the same rhetorical story I have heard since I moved here in 2012; everything that goes awry with Stevensville government, the citizens pay for, whether the mistake was legal or illegal.
The purpose of government of the type of representative government we have, is for the mayor and town council to represent and protect the citizens. The staff is hired to serve the citizens of Stevensville. As Town Hall belongs to the citizens, the citizens have full legal right to have access to an open, unlocked door into the office, have the right to research past meetings, count the pencils in the desk drawers, and be treated with respect.
Our mayor and his staff are so full of self-importance that they are offended if anyone even suggests they might need to reconsider what they are doing. The mayor is hidden in a back room, guarded by three secretaries. Now the staff wants to start closing the Town Office early on Fridays, saying they will still be working behind closed doors, when actually they will be off traveling to another destination. Now Town Hall is going to be remodeled so the secretaries have a “safe place” to go to when someone offends them!
The Good Book in II Timothy and St. Matthew 24:10-13 has much to say about how people will be offended in the Last Days, that there will be much lawlessness and people’s hearts will grow cold (lack love).
Again, we are down to one policeman, the Police Chief. What happened to all the officers the citizens of Stevensville have paid for to go to the Police Academy so they could be graduated as police? It seems like in just a short time those newly graduated police officers are gone!
Filing to run as a candidate for the Mayor of Stevensville closes June 11, I understand. The filing fee is $180, paid at the Election Office in Hamilton. It would be so nice to have common sense once again in Town Hall. It would take someone with fortitude to undertake replacing the old with some new smiling faces in the office, get the lock off the Town Office door, and be out front and present when the citizens of Stevensville need to see the mayor.
We need someone who is not going to be offended by what anyone comes in to say or do. We need someone who will stand up for the citizens of Stevensville, to provide for them and to protect them.
Jim Crews says
So, was I really the problem by following our laws and running town hall as v it should have been?
helen sabin says
JIM – you have two women complaining – one in her op ed and the other below your comment here on this site. How about responding to them and share what YOU think you have done to improve Stevi and its management. Many people think STEVI has been poorly run for a long time – so prove them wrong. Please! If you think you are doing a good job, brag about it. Folks will listen. Thanks for doing so.
Susan Devlin says
I absolutely agree 100%. We really need some transparency some honesty.. There is so much hostility at Townhall that I don’t go in anymore at all. I drop my horrific water sewer bill off in the dropbox