From: Ken Fudge
Columbus
After the Republican primary, Mayor Jim Lienhoop stated that the low voter turnout was due to the public’s satisfaction with his and his administration’s performance. I disagree with that statement.
I feel that the average citizen has lost faith in the political system and feels there is nothing they can do. They are busy trying to earn a living and raise their families. I know I have lost faith in the local political system. I see taxes being raised to pay for vanity projects that are ridiculous and serve very few. I see streets that need repair, streetlights that need to be installed and crosswalks and sidewalks. In my opinion, I see common sense approaches to the problems that exist in this city totally ignored.
This city has changed and is no longer the welcoming small town with progressive thinking it once was. It has become a chrome and glass tourist trap that wants to capture more taxes from the tourist trade.
We are told the city leaders want to make Columbus a place where people want to come and live. It seems to me that this has become more important than keeping it a place where those who live here already are serviced by their local government.
The current administration just spent quite a bit of your tax money trying to defend itself in a public information lawsuit because they broke the law. This was totally unnecessary and could have been avoided by our city officials but it became a contest of will using the taxpayer’s money.
It’s time to stop this mentality and bring common sense and representation of all our citizens to city hall. This city needs an administration that embraces transparency and an independent thinking and acting city council.
They should be having monthly meetings with their citizens in their districts and then come to the city council chambers and have open discussions with the mayor and the public about the issues and comments from their constituents. I feel this would better serve this city than what is happening now.
Meetings should be publicized clearly and scheduled for times convenient to the public so they may attend. Our local government needs to serve the public and not the other way around. Our local government should foster and promote unity, not divisiveness, and it is my belief that total transparency and the process mentioned above will accomplish this.
