September 10, 2010 Mayor Barile: Do As I Say, Not As I Do

If a picture is worth a thousand words, these two pictures must be worth two thousand words.

DO AS I SAY.
Mayor Barile and Chamber of Commerce: Spend your money and sales tax dollars in Morristown! Click to enlarge and read the banner: Buy Local.  Shop Chamber

NOT AS I DO
Everybody goes out of town on personal business or to shop or eat from time to time. But it is offensive and insulting to the citizens and taxpayers of Morristown when Mayor Barile, five of the six Councilmembers, and City Administrator Tony Cox travel to JOHNSON CITY and spend their own money AND City taxpayer dollars at a 2-day "City retreat" in a luxurious JOHNSON CITY HOTEL.  The City Chambers at the Morristown City Center are not shabby and are free for council use, but the Mayor and five Councilmembers decided they would spend some taxpayer money to help them get away from MORRISTOWN and Morristown taxpayers and go to JOHNSON CITY on August 27-28 for their discussions of CITY OF MORRISTOWN finances, sewer problems, and other issues. Councilman Gene Brooks did not participate in the JOHNSON CITY retreat.

Click here to see pictures of Mayor Barile, City Administrator Tony Cox, and Councilmembers Bob Garrett, Claude Jinks, Frank McGuffin, Doc Rooney, and Kay Senter discussing CITY OF MORRISTOWN business while spending City of Morristown taxpayer dollars on food and a "conference room" at the luxurious and pricey Carnegie Hotel in JOHNSON CITY.

August 31, 2010 Mayor Barile and Five of the Six City Councilmembers Meet in JOHNSON CITY To Discuss Morristown Finances, Beautification, Sewer, Increasing Revenue (Taxes, Fees, etc)

Mayor Barile and five of the six City Councilmembers met with City Administrator Tony Cox at the elegant Carnegie Hotel (above) in Johnson City on Friday, August 27, and Saturday, August 28. Councilmember Gene Brooks did not attend. Pictured above (L-R) are Mayor Barile, Kay Senter, Doc Rooney, and Tony Cox. The other picture (L-R) shows Bob Garrett, Claude Jinks, and Frank McGuffin.

Over the course of two days, these seven individuals spent around 10 hours discussing City of Morristown financial woes, unemployment, sewer problems, and their Morristown wish lists.

The City was just barely able to pay its bills last month, and that led to discussion of ways to raise more revenue (translation: dip into YOUR pocket and take more of YOUR money to cover for years of excessive spending and mismanagement). Some ideas for revenue enhancement included adding additional "user fees" on top of the new $10/month garbage user fee that will start in September, increasing property taxes, and increasing sewer fees.

Bob Garrett won the prize for one-liners: Now we know what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck.

If ever the "news"paper should have covered a meeting, this was it. But, alas, no one from the "news"paper was there on either day even though these were open meetings.  Bob Moore, the "news"paper's city government reporter, didn't make it to either meeting.

Of course, the intent of having a meeting of the MORRISTOWN City Council in JOHNSON CITY was to keep the pesky public out of the way. On keeping the public away from these meetings, Mayor Barile, the five councilmembers in attendance, and new City Administrator Tony Cox can say "mission accomplished." Almost. 

Citizens for Accountability which tapes local meetings had representatives in Johnson City on both days. Both meetings were taped, and the tapes will be available for viewing in 1-2 weeks. I'll provide info and a link to where the tapes can be viewed at a later date.

City Administrator Tony Cox plans to prepare a summary report of the Johnson City discussions and will no doubt provide it to the "news"paper.  Maybe the "news"paper will use the City's summary/press release to write an article or a series of articles about the Morristown City Council's retreat in Johnson City.

I'll post documents and handouts from the meetings in the next few days.