After watching the way the city handled the Police officers greviances, the Sheriff's morale-boosting plan, and authorizing the sale of alcoholic beverages in city parks until 11:15pm.. one can only wonder how far into madness the City Council is willing to sink before the next election.
Making no friends is no way to run a campaign - and there are 4 seats up in the next election.
Come to find out today, contractors in the city have to be bonded each year. In most sections of the country - contractors need be bonded once, and carry that for the duration of the job. Bonding costs in the neighborhood of $12,000. And the city, in all it's infinite wisdom, insists that without a current-year date on the bond - it's not valid.
Tell that to the lawyers.
Double time now. Bring on the chaostrophy.
How about an individual, scouted and hired by the city to do a certain job, unable to do that job because the city does not understand the concept of Myspace, or it's value to the particular defined task.
Which they defined...
How it pains me to tell friends: "Come down to Roanoke, vacation and relax, but leave your common-sense at home. It has no place here."
I speak to you folks daily, from all walks of life. And no one of you can understand the operations of the machine. It astounds you to watch as the simplest concept gets skewed and changed into the biggest non-issue around.
You have faith in family, faith in G-d, faith in your job - but no faith in the City upholding it's end of the bargain. Like the schools.
And no, I do not need to illustrate that point - if you can't figure it out, you need to read the paper more often.
It's time for the citizens to do what the city cannot. Have faith in each other. Believe that it is possible for the city to get better, and it will. The "SoRo" minority cannot hold power over a populous motivated.
And do not think it is always South Roanoke behind everything. Or Carilion. Most often, it's blind ignorance or fear of movement that stifles the city.
It all comes down to the same issue - time after time. Who controls your hope?
The city council would certainly like to stifle that hope - the dream of a better future in the city, because it would mean they would have to make the highly unpopular choice of actually doing something. Unpopular amongst them. Watch a council meeting once - it only takes once before you, like Mr. Wishneff - are so beaten by the wet mop of Status Quo that you begin to lose hope.
Hope is the first step, fear is the mind killer.
Now, it ends.
