Dear Councilperson Magdits:
I have read your letter (pasted below) of February 9 to now Councilperson Donna Hawley and wish to make a few short comments concerning it.
[1] I am revolted by your arrogant, condescending, superior attitude. What gives you the right to talk to people that way? Do you realize that your attitude reflects negatively on the entire city? Since Mr. Spadoni writes in support of your letter (also pasted below) and (to my knowledge) all other recipients have declined to comment publicly, is it fair to say that the entire City Council (as composed in February), Mayor Jenks, and City Administrator Butz all condone this bullying?
[2] You write, "You do not trust the answers that John Butz is giving you." Do you? If you trust Mr. Butz's answers, I have a bargain you can't refuse: I can sell you a bridge over the Mississippi River for a fraction of its value (cash only please).
[3] You write, "You do not fully understand finances, especially the city finances." This is indeed a strange statement from one who voted to include in the City budget $1 million that the City hoped to gain from illegal activity (selling Buehler Park), under the assumption that the City of Rolla stood above the law.
[4] You write, "You continue to have as an underlining premise that the city officials; elected, appointed and staff, are incompetent." I find "incompetent" a rather kind and mild description of officials who pay over $200,000 to build a visitors center on someone else's property and then buy the building they paid to construct at fair market value. How would you describe such an act?
[5] You write, "... prove to me that you have done something constructive for this community ..." Have you considered that Councilperson Hawley is co-leader of the group that put so much pressure on RMU that they were forced to lower our electric rates from 10.3 cents/Kwh to 9.3 cents/Kwh? (No, no, no! Don't tell me they would have done it anyway. I wasn't born yesterday.) Many of us are very thankful to Ms. Hawley for her work in controlling the electricity rates we pay. What have you done to decrease our electricity rates?
It is no secret that the City is in dire financial straits, due to its habits of overspending and speculating, which are certainly not limited to the two examples above. A third example is the failed TIF at the corner of Highways 63 and 72 which delayed the development of that corner for several years, proved costly to the City in time, energy and money, and at least partially contributed to the death of an elderly resident of the TIF area. As a member of both the TIF Commission and the City Council, I think you deserve some credit for this failure.
The latest example is the so-called Rolla West project, on which the City spends heavily in spite of a recession which is still widening and deepening. Have you considered what will happen to Rolla West when the Federal Government cuts military spending, as it will eventually have to do, given the expense and failure of its policy of military adventurism in Iraq and elsewhere? Have you considered what will happen to Rolla West as the price of oil continues to rise, and people travel less and less, shop closer to home, and increasingly make purchases over the Internet?
I suggest that you and the entire City Council begin to consider these aspects of municipal government and finance.
Yours sincerely,
Tom Sager
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From: Louis Magdits
To: 'Donna Hawley' ; 'Terry Ruck' ; 'Sue Eudaly' ; 'Stan Spadoni' ; 'Richard Sibley' ; 'Richard Morris' ; 'Monty Jordan' ; 'Mark Walburg' ; 'Judy Jepsen' ; 'Gary Hicks' ; 'Don Barklage'
Cc: 'John Butz' ; 'Mayor Bill Jenks'
Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2008 1:31 PM
Subject: RE: True Measure of Overspending
Donna
I have been reading each and every email that you have been exchanging with John Butz regarding the city finances. At first I thought that you were asking good questions. Questions that would help you understand city finances and prepare you for the possibility of being on the city council and having to make financial decisions. As the emails and explanations continued several things became apparent to me. You do not trust the answers that John Butz is giving you. You do not fully understand finances, especially the city finances. You continue to have as an underlining premise that the city officials; elected, appointed and staff, are incompetent. The more someone tries to give you an answer the more you try to find faults and lay blame. You are running for council for all of the wrong reasons. When you prove to me that you have done something constructive for this community and you have done it better than the people on this distribution, than and only than will I accept your criticism that this group has in your words, failed miserably.
Lou Magdits
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From: Stan Spadoni
To: Lou Magdits - External Address
Cc: City Council ; billjenks ; John Butz ; Hawleyd@fidnet.com
Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2008 11:27 AM
Lou -
I agree with your response to Donna Hawley questions reference the city general fund and other of her inaccurate comments.
Stan
