From Mayor Art Ward:
VOTE NO to COO - VOTE NO to Increased Taxes - VOTE NO to Less Representation - VOTE NO to More Government.
These are the elements that every voter should be considering when they enter the voting booth on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.
Every voter should be concerned with this last minute push by a small group of political proponents who want you to believe that all of the ills of our community will be resolved by the presence of yet another level of government, a COO.
What this misinformed group fails to tell the voters is that the cost of this COO position alone, will impose an additional cost to you and me, as taxpayers, of over $250,000 to $300,000 a year.
In answer to the concern of this group on how to address the need for additional personnel to carry out the functions charged to the Mayor's office, my proposal to the Charter Revision Commission was for the creation of a mayoral assistant position, as exists in most other communities of our size, which would handle delegated duties.
This non-benefit, part-time position would act in a manner similar to that of an Assistant Corporation Counsel at a salary of approximately $28,000 a year.
This would afford the Mayor the opportunity to more appropriately focus attention on the areas of concern referenced by these other proponents and also allow the time for a more directed, objective, responsible and less expensive method of evaluating the actual future needs of the mayoral position.
As your mayor, I can assure you that the financial well-being of this city will continue to be appropriately addressed through the joint cooperation of the elected officials and the members of the Board of Finance.
This system of government, like everything else in life, should always be subject to constant review, tweaking and improvement but always keeping in mind that we need to assure the people that our intentions are not politically motivated but are solely for the purposes of keeping the taxpayer's benefits first and foremost and vigilantly being fiscally responsible.. .
VOTE NO to COO.
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
24 comments:
I saw Ward putting out Vote No signs Sunday on Stafford Ave. It's good to see the Unions still have him working for them!
Sounds more like Ward is working for ALL of the City's tax payers....keep up the good work Mayor!
Ward....Moving Bristol Back-Ward
Mr.Ward do you have the experience to run a city? What is your background? Do you know anything about economic planning and urban development? Would a person that makes 28k a year now how to run personal? That is the problem with this city..Everyone that holds a seat other then Craig minor has the experience to run a friggin city. So yes it will cost the tax payers some cash in the long run will it be millions no! Could we reap in millions because of a COO absolutely! Vote yes ! The cities future is in your hands! Keep it the same or spend money to make this a city everyone everyone is jealous about!
Craig Minor is the only one with experience on the council. Everyone else does not have experience. Sorry about that.
Where's the proof 10:35? Facts to back up your statements? Statistics? Cost analysis?....uh huh, though so.
Vote NO!
I saw Johnson putting out Choose COO signs on Battle Street. It's sad to see he's still trying to stick it to Bristol's tax payers. Guess it's revenge for us not voting for him.
Vote no COO
What experience did Craig Yard have in running a business until he RAN one????
What experience did Joe Torre have in managing a baseball team until he manged one?
what experience did Bill Gates have in starting and running a business until he started and ran one?
Like Art or not, he has years of involvement. How about you?
What experience does a parent have until they become one?
If you need to be an Urban Planner or Economic whiz, or Public Works Engineer, then I say lets find that person and get rid of Kloko, Rosenthal, Veselka and ALL other department heads.
at least ward is offering up reasons for voting rather than blowing smoke up everyone's butt.
11:05 - Craig Minor, stop flattering yourself and patting yourself on the back as the only experienced one on the council because if experience woere the only decider, you sure as heck wouldn't act as you do.
Don't be fooled by Mr. Ward's works. He approved the budget last year that raised our taxes in one of the worst economic years in recent memory.
A big reason we want the COO is because we are tired of these incompetent mayors that keep getting shuffled through City Hall in Bristol.
We want a sense of permanence, and also someone who can pull the plug on all of the city programs that are poorly managed, over funded, and poorly executed.
The reason to vote for the COO? You don't want someone who bows to the Unions and recites Democratic party talking points in order to stay in power.
VOTE YES TO QUESTION 5 -
Say YES to the COO
1:54pm - suggest that you review last year's budget process. ward got department heads to drop the mill rate from 1.5 mills to .98 mills.
minor and cockayne were two councilmembers who wanted the rate to stay at 1.5 mills - screw the taxpayers - but instead they got the council to bring it back up to 1.04 mills - if you aren't cockayne, sure sounds like he has a twin - god forbid.
"A big reason we want the COO is because we are tired of these incompetent mayors that keep getting shuffled through City Hall in Bristol."
There you go again insulting the intelligence of the good citizens of Bristol. Trust me when I say that we're quite capable of recognizing incompetence when we see it....that's why we didn't elect your candidate. It's also why we're not buying your spiel. Please, take your BS and pedal it elsewhere....
Vote no COO ~ end the BS!
2:02 poster,
I suggest you review last years budget process! Your Union boy McCauley voted to increase the taxes!
Nicastro, Rimcoski and Cockayne voted for NO tax increase!
11:06
Don't expect to get any answers. The COO COO group has yet to respond to the people, and are using BS to try to convince them to support a COO.
Totally dishonest!
"Craig Minor is the only one with experience on the council. Everyone else does not have experience. Sorry about that."
No need to apologize 11:05....you got it right the first time!
So Ward finally figured out he would be stripped of his powers, lol...took long enough for him to take a postion
Poor lil 7:51 obviously doesn't have a clue. Ward's been against the COO since its inception and the COO proponents have been feverishly denying that it has ANYTHING at all to do with stripping the mayor of his "powers"....Funny, but I think you just nailed the motivation behind the whole COO-COO concept quite clearly....revenge against Ward. What a waste of the tax payers' time and money! Vote no COO.
8:15 is right - minor, mccauley and block didn't get the queen into office so they bellied up with ken johnson for the election - they lost that, put their tails between their legs, wimpered away and figured that this would be a way to stick it to ward.
bunch of wimps.
art, thank you for standing up for us taxpayers in real terms and keeping us informed. at least you opened up with answers and acted in good faith. Hope that everyone joins us in voting NO COO.
I'm coo coo for the C.O.O.!
Artie, your interest in putting Krawiecki back in power is certainly going to enhace the possibility of the COO passing.
5:51pm - misguided optimism.
Ward was minimally influential on this issue.
Many others were more meaningful.
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