Residents Need Reassurance Now

Sat., June 17, 2000

Dave Anderson Special To Handle Extra

William Moe was elected Spirit Lake mayor in November `99. Shortly after, he amended the budget. He had to! Obviously, they were spending too much on the wrong things. He had previously made a statement that he wanted 80 percent of the budget allocated to the Police Department. How come, Mr. Mayor, that the budget that you helped to pass, needed to be modified? Is it going to the Police Department? Can we get precise accounting?

The city had built more than seven miles of road and did it with the salaried crew and with city-owned equipment. It never cost the citizens any extra money. They did it with hard work! The plan was to continue the process as the city could afford it. A flier from City Hall then proposed a local improvement district to raise $2.2 million to rebuild the roads and finish that project. This would cost everyone $15 per month for the rest of our lives. This, of course, did not fly.

In the paper the next morning after that street proposal was shot down, another article said our government wanted to increase everyone’s sewer service fee to fund the sewer expansion project. Everyone was surprised! Another attempt at taking our money. The previous mayor already had put into motion a plan that would save the city money. Does the new mayor have a fixation for taxation?

The existing 70-year-old public works building should be condemned. The last mayor had started a project to build a new one on land that cost only $10,000. He also had a logging company come in and log the land. The logs raised $80,000 for the project. Now the city wants to stop this project.

It has become obvious that the new mayor has decided that anything that was connected to the previous administration must be eliminated.

Before we elect the next mayor or city council members, I suggest the citizens of Spirit Lake find out exactly who these candidates are. Do they really have the city’s interests at heart? Which roads of life have they traveled? Do they have common sense? Are they vindictive? This is important.

With the current system, what qualified mayor candidate could be found who would dedicate four years of his or her life for $1.73 an hour? It’s not an easy job.

Please Mr. Moe, give us reassurance that my opinions are only imaginary! The recall election is getting closer! We’ve all got to make a decision on how to vote!

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