I have never been one to take away someone’s right to speak. But, there is a time and place for the members of city council to put forth new legislation.
During the “new business” portion of the council meeting it may be done through a motion, (which is what I asked for) but that time is not for any individual council member to present their minority view point.
And, it is certainly not the time for any member of council to pontificate about themselves or what individual plans they have concocted for our city, especially ones that have not been presented to the body. A single councilor does not represent the whole, and should not act as if they do.
This council has one voice, and we decided that giving the people the choice was a better option over a plan that has been asked for by the Mayor but never brought forth by Ms. Hanneken or presented to anyone.
We, the council, presented our city with a roads and storm water levy that the majority of council believes will be a solution to fixing our roads, streets, and storm water issues moving forward. I hope you review its perimeters and decide for yourself if fixing the roads in our town is worth your money.
The levy is transparent, and the revenue collected from it can only be used to fix our roads and address related storm water issues.
Unlike Ms. Hanneken opening volley, I am not interested in raising your taxes, I am interested in fixing a problem that has existed for far to long. And in doing so, I want to present a solution rather than give an answer that will eventually beg more questions.
l respect the opinion of the electorate and will follow the direction of the majority, no matter the outcome of the levy that our city will be voting on in August. But, I hope your decision is based on facts, and not half truths and speculations.
As for the portion of the council meeting that is on the video:
I truly think it is disrespectful for a member of council to lob insults at the crowd under any situation.
It is one thing to defend yourself, but name calling has no place from up on the dias.
And to tell people to “shut up,” because they laughed at a little jape at her expense is shameful.
Ms. Hanneken should apologize for both insults she directed at the crowd of her fellow Macedonians.
Please direct any questions about this post or the roads levy to kbilkie@macedonia.oh.us.
Happy Summer!
Kevin
Editor note:
Here is a link to the article about the special Macedonia City Council Meeting.
Vic’s Corner: Macedonia Special Meeting and Council Meeting 6-9-2016
