Mayor In Denial ??

Elsinore Magazine 2 June 14, 2005 EM2 asks Mayor Magee, in respect to a Californian newspaper article on Sunday June 12, where does he get his information concerning the projected budget for the fiscal year 2005-- 2006. The Mayor states “ We are in a lot better shape than in years past. We’re in the black, we have a balanced budget, and for a third straight year we are hiring more police officers.” EM2 wants the citizens to know, that this is pure fabrication! Hog Wash! CITIZENS!! Do you know that the city only has enough money to pay for 15 hours of extra police protection. Not the three full time officers that were promised. EM2 will attempt to explain how the city’s financial budget looks a little to rosy. Developers pay a one time fee which is set aside to be used for certain infrastructure items such as the building of fire stations, building curbs and gutters, roads and possible parks in the area of the development project. These fees are known as DAG FEES. Those fire stations. curved gutters, roads and parks are for the areas of development only and those funds are not intended to be used for the operating expenses of the city. The city has taken it upon itself to spend it as it darn well pleases. Last year a million dollar plus was used from those fees known as the DAG fees to balance the budget. And this year the same DAG fees are being used to balance the budget again. That is why the budget appears to be in the black. In other words we’re robbing Peter to pay Paul ! It would seem that certain officials elected to PUBLIC office fined it easier to make everyone believe all as well, and according to the Mayor, just relax, I have everything under control!!! Does the Mayor really expect the ctizens to believe that he knows more about the budget figures than the Finance Director, Matt Pressey, AND, the City Treasurer, Peter Weber. Both of whom are professional bookeepers operating the pencils for the city and along the way finding out all sorts of things wrong. If the citizens believe nothing is wrong while the Mayor resolves his budget crisis( by pulling down monies from the DAG fees ) and citizens who may not know the truth, will believe all’s well. The Treasurer has worked hard at finding out the truth on finances. He has demonstrated how well he does the math. It was Mr. Weber who found that the stadium debt was $38 million instead of the said amount of $22 million. A LIE told to the Public. Funds that should have been set aside for the building of Low Moderate Income Housing have been used to pay on the stadium and the city had to confirm that Mr. Weber was RIGHT, and he was, right on TARGET! Yet the Mayor would have the citizens believe suddenly, the Treasurer is wrong. Not so ! Magee is awfully rude and arrogant to have slapped the Finance Director and the City Treasure in the face, depicting them both as being wrong by the comments he made in the Caifornian News article just to make himself look good. And Magee gave the appearance that everything is rosy. Again not so! Many services are suffering due to the lack of available funds, such as our street maintenance, safety, fire and police protection. Nothing is rosy as long as our Public Services are lacking. The Lies have got to stop. The citizens will never accept anything but the truth! The Mayor’s last comment in the article, “The taxpayers have entrusted us with the tremendous responsibility and we need to be mindful of that”. is bogus. What gall? After attempting to sell the citizens of this city a fabricated budget using paid developers, DAG fees . Now rumors are surfacing that another $million dollars is being taking from some other funds to balance the budget also. EM2 will investigate. EM2 has two questions? Is the Mayor in deep denial? Is he a Lover of Truth or a Lover of Lies? For years, citizens who have dared to go public in speaking the Truth, were often called Nay Sayers and Negative. Now the Truth has become " gloom and doom." Most of all the Mayor should come down off of that sociopathic high horse!!!! Come to reality! Cut the FAT! Also deal with the, wrong doings, going on and the MISUSE of Public Funds. No more coverup. The Mayor has not kept his campaign promise on SAFETY and REFORM. Stay tuned for part 2.