This was a Facebook entry I found. It is something that has been obvious to anyone following city government.
I recently visited The City Of Newark, Ohio Ohio website and noticed more bragging about the dependency on government grants. I see it in every edition of the newspaper and just about every mention of the city of Newark. The politicians and city employees constantly brag up their ability to bring Newark’s situation to a point that is so bad that they require government assistance to operate.
I’m starting to wonder why we pay anyone in Newark’s management. Every decision, present and future, is bound to the requirements of a grant. If the rules of the grants are the governing factor in most decisions, what is the point in paying personnel to make decisions? They are simply interpreting the rules of the grants. They make sure that their favored vendors are informed well in advance so that they qualify, make sure that the employee diversity is in line with the requirements, and ensure that the general situation in the city is poor enough to qualify for the next grant.
The needs of the citizens are ignored, at least if they don’t fit into the requirements of a federal grant. The recent construction is a prime example. Every major road in the city is shut down at the same time because the stimulus money was available for all of the projects at the same time. No thoughts were given about how to keep from shutting down every major intersection, the city was focused on the money grab. If you have a problem with it, you just don’t appreciate what they are doing for you and your business right?
President Obama has admitted that he lacks the understanding of his term, “shovel ready“. Newark’s apparent plan to give up and accept grants as their only means to operate is “shovel ready”, and we know what they’re shoveling as the shake their responsibilities and turn over our city’s management over to the terms and conditions of Washington’s wishes.
