Rumor Has it — A City Petition in Support of URP
Sometimes sitting around the bar at the coffee clatter, you hear the most interesting things about local officials. Now, honestly, it’s not all bad. For instance, tonight I heard about one city official giving his time for kids in the neighborhood, to increase their chances of attending the World Series 2009, by earning money for tickets for their family. I thought that was a particularly wonderful thing that City official was doing. (I’m told he was a Department Head, but that he wishes to remain anonymous.)
I won’t release his name here, but I will tell him next time I see him how proud I am to have men like him working in my community. THANKS!
Then there’s that tyranny thing rearing it’s ugly head again.
Tonight a city employee shared that he’d been asked to sign a petition in support of the Urban Redevelopment Plan and the Main Street Project being presented to City Council, by the head voice of the project. The unstated implication is that if they didn’t sign the petition, their job was at risk. In a similar conversation with a different city employee yesterday, we were told that the city pays dearly for loyalty. All this after a discussion about the city having FROZEN city wages while the City Administrator asks for a BONUS on his wages, for Acting City Attorney and the City Council votes themselves a raise doubling their wages.
Now, while I don’t have a problem with Community Servants being paid for their time, in fact, it is my believe that community servants should be compensated well for their time. The concept of rewarding employees for “loyalty” with the implication given bothers me. There’s something in that very conceptual basis of existence that sends chills down my spine.
As a citizen of a FREE country, I believe men should be rewarded, not for blind loyalty to the “crown”, but rather for their efforts and accomplishments.
So, what kind of loyalty is rewarded within a city, and to whom is the loyalty given?
