With everything completely screwed up in this City what with an unnecessary arena, supposed budget "crisis" (still no CAFR), Center City project given to Cordish when we have received ZERO return on 4th street live, a failed library system Abramson promised to improve with no new taxes YouTube - Support The Library, Not The Tax , and finally an ethics commission that does not care about ethics.
Whew! Huge list huh.
I haven't even scratched the surface yet.
Take this article from the Courier today: Brouhaha may delay council ethics vote courier-journal The Courier-Journal. Essentially we need a Metro ethics ordinance with some meat in it. As I have alluded to in prior articles the hypocrisy and downright contempt for meaningful ethics reform based on the rubberstamp friends of Jerry on the Council. You can read here Louisville News and Politics: "NEW" METRO ETHICS ORDINANCE?.
Let's not forget the Jim King role in misusing his office to get Katie, I can't get to work on time because I party too late, King elected. Council President Jim King, D-10th, said there is no conspiracy to derail the ordinance. But he said there is "a fairly high level of confusion" on some aspects.
Apparently the Abramson machine does not want the 9 member panel chosen at random. I guess not since it would be harder to control the outcome he wants in everything. Essentially the new proposal that was agreed on in committee was the Repubs would appoint 3, the Dems would appoint 3, and the Mayor would appoint 3. Of course this essentially gives the Mayor what?
You guessed it power over the ethics commission. Like he doesn't have that power over the Council now as obvious by the sudden change of heart by some on the committee.
Kelly Downard, R-16th, said he suspects Abramson has asked the Democrats on the council to kill the ordinance. But the mayor said this week that he hadn't even read the ordinance and that he would consider a change to the appointment process. Kelly I agree.
Sure Jerry we believe you. Sarcasm purely intended. Abramson controls everything and this will insure that he will take care of his Dem buddies once again to prevent accountability. I like his next statement:
"It seems out of the ordinary," Abramson said of the change. "The simple majority (for ratification) seems to have worked well. But if there's some reason this board should be treated differently, I'm open to hearing about it."
This board should definitely be treated differently. Abramson should have NO part in appointments whatsoever.
If we are going to set the number at 9 members each party should have the right of appointing 4 each. Let the Mayor himself be given the 9th position essentially for a tie breaker in the event we need one.
That would at least equal out the political part of the process for fairness.
It is amazing that David Tandy, next Council President and future wannabe Mayor, would willingly give up ALL appointments to Abramson according to the article. This continues to give Abramson ALL the power and essentially NO accountability.
Of course he already has that.
Tandy decided AGAINST what he agreed to in committee and now wants the Mayor to have the right of appointment for ALL 9 members just approved by the Metro Council with a 2/3's majority. What was the sellout?
I have generally liked some of the stuff Tandy does, though admittedly not all, and yet to flip flop on even the basics of what he already agreed to thus eroding the power of the Council further is beyond me.
Of course with members like MaDonna Flood whose husband John is awaiting trial, Bob Henderson who admitted in federal testimony wrongdoing in regards to MSD, and Rick Blackwell who dropped the ethics complaint against Henderson after sitting on it for years, and not reading the testimony from the federal trial, there is much needed to protect.
It is time to get this City government under control and away from Abramson and his political lackeys who refuse to do the job they were elected to do.
With that in mind Metro Council here is what you do.
Get off your butts, remember why you got elected, remember this is about We The People not you the person, nor is it about what you can gain because Jerry said so, and give us what we demand.
The transparency and accountability we deserve.
Once that is done there will be no need for "ethics" reform will there?
Thursday, January 8, 2009
3 comments:
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The mayor's power needs to be diminished. And the city needs a strong anti-nepotism law. THAT is where most of the trouble is. This ethics bs is crazy. We all know there are no ethical people in the mayors office!
ReplyDeleteThis is why I refer to them in my blog and elsewhere as the "Louisville Metro Soviet".
ReplyDeleteI find it hilarious yet sad that the current administration is involved in pursuing ethics reform as a shill for their agenda. It covers them from being ripped by the general public that is rapidly getting up to speed about what is going on in this fair city. This is just the tip of the iceberg that We The People are beginning to see the corruption and arrogance of our so called leaders.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to know what MaDonna Flood knows about her husband's activities and if she will ever put up on a witness stand or even a lie detector test to testify. Now that would make for an interesting day.
I think that any ethics commission should be selected from the general public and consist of someone who is not a contributing party member. In fact, I have to question why we would need to have staunch Democrats or staunch Republicans on an ethics commission. After all, wouldn't you want someone who is unbiased politically and interested in coming to the truth of such matters.
Covering up for the misdeeds of these people is not ethics and if you recall the white washings we have seen in past federal administrations when an ethics or government panel brings up the issues. Its not like they totally come to the bottom of that matter.
In fact, I believe that these citizens should not have party affiliation at all. It would prevent the tainting of the process by party politics. It has been found that even in the so called purest Communist countries that claimed political and social supremacy that those nations are often led by self serving and corrupt politicians.
Interesting that the so called champions of these people that claimed to be fighting American imperialism and our way of life, ended up to be the most corrupt elite around. Interesting that nations such as Vietnam, China, North Korea, USSR, etc were not led by the people or the nation of people but rather from a top down sort of system of cronyism, political corruption, and personal dictatorship.
Which while more on the mild side, the policies and politics of Premier Jerry Abramson speak of political corruption, cronyism, favortism, and a culture of incompetence and obfuscation of the fact. Those who are wanting to extend their control over situations and people are those who do this sort of thing. In a true democratic Republic, as the United States of America was founded upon, all records would be capable of perusal by the public. Jerry Abramson hiding the facts and manipulating such facts is not a true representation of a democratic republic ruled by We The People. It is a crony based system of political corruption, lies, and coverups. The truth will set you free just as soon as the light is brought out to obscure the darkness.