p-3cwPeRbeWWgGk
Twentynine Palms, Ca— This evening the City Council approved the $120,000 a year slot for a Economic/redevelopment Specialist. In a 3 to 2 vote the council told the Citizens of this city to go piss up a rope and they will do what they will with your tax dollars as they damned well please.
While the city still has a dangerous shortage of patrol officers to cover all shift hours, and the $120,000 would have covered that 4 hour gape when only one officer is on duty in the city, three on the Council seem to unwilling to pull their heads out, and really showed the community that they just don’t get it.
Councilman Harris along with Councilman Spear took the courageous stand that the taxpayers money could be better spent on other projects and budget items including Public Safety.
Our Mayor, Forrest Gump, I suppose thinks that you all have short memories and will not remember this betrayal in November. He forgets he was a distant third in a field of 8. Dumb moves like this will cause even his Tea and Crumpet Crowd to abandon him at the polls. He might be left sitting on the bus bench with his box of chocolates.
Cactus Thorns has been online in one form or the other since 2001. What started as a personal blog documenting the corruption and lack of Due Process of the 29 Palms Community Development Department has turned into over these many years into a hugely popular Independent Alternative News Media Outlet. We have partnered with other media including The Desert Star Weekly, Joshua Tree Star, other blogs, indie media and an incredible staff of volunteer Reporters, Commentators and Opinion Makers to create one of the most read, honest and dependable alternative to the Local traditional Media services in the country. Thanks to you the reader we are in the 5% of most read sites in the World.
Related posts:
Hi Dan,
I just woke up and I’m getting ready for work here drinking my coffee.
If I could let me say that the city is not at a dangerous shortage of patrol officers.
I also think that it may help to recognize that in the last 7 years we have hired 2 additional officers -- a traffic unit and a school resources officer.
Captain Miller and the rest of our police are doing an excellent job with the assets that we as a city can, at the present, afford to pay.
The creation of this new position does not affect the safety of our people in a direct manner.
I’m not trying to argue this issue with anyone I only hope to separate these issues and not link safety with this new job that was created last night through the votes of three other councilmembers.
Thanks.
Well God knows that I am a strong law enforcement supporter and I wouldn’t want to infer that the Cops aren’t doing their job, BUT could the money we are going to spend on a E/R Specialist be put into more say OHV patrols? Or a traffic cop to slow down traffic at Stater Bros be a better buy? I think so and so do a lot of people.
I think the better bet would have been spending the money on potholes and/or a share of a traffic cop to actually bring civic improvement that we all can see.
There’s a lot more to economic development than dragging in a big box store. If you get the right person in an economic development position, and they have the support of the city and its people, then you may have something to celebrate. Get the wrong person in that position, and you have another economic drain that doesn’t do much for the city.
I’ve seen it go both ways. Twentynine Palms definitely could use some efforts toward economic development. I’d be focusing on downtown and tourism to jump start the fact that out of all the hi-desert towns, 29 Palms has the best pedestrian-friendly downtown core. But that’s just one idea that comes from my experiences with the CDVA at the LA Times Travel & Adventure Show. It’s apparent to me that our “drive” market is very interested in our area. We just have to have something to offer them once they get here. A good economic development person could organize incentives for businesses to turn that downtown core into something attractive and enjoyable for visitors, and something profitable and sustaining, for residents.
Look the way you put it, it makes all the sense in the world, but then like any balloon ride the air pressure drops and we have to return to Earth. Once on the ground its the same old Cronyism that takes over.
The track record with this place promoting economic development is well …. 0-25 These guys don’t take the profession of Public Relations seriously and you watch they’ll put some back-bench schmuck in the slot and waste $120,000 a year.
We know without a doubt NOT going to hire you Steve, that might make some kind of logical sense.
Dan, what would I do with all that money? I’ve been a journalist so long that I now envy WalMart cashiers for their lavish salaries. My pay increases come in more copies for more readers, and more pages for more stories!
Like I said, I’ve seen this position go both ways -- with a great return for the community, or, like you said, just cronyism that drains the coffers with no results.
There is another scenario I’ve seen played out as well -- where the person hired is capable and devoted to their role -- only to have the political folks on the city council, and the embeddedd bureaucrats in the governmental entity, sabotage their efforts. I saw one highly capable economic development official in Palm Springs resign his position because his best efforts were hampered at every turn. He was very well paid, but he quit because he simply was not allowed to do his job on behalf of the people of that city.
I would encourage folks in 29 Palms to take an active role in vetting the proper candidate for the job. If you get the right person in there, you’ll have a good solid team in city government. If not, you’ll have the same old, same old, with $120,000+ less in the city coffers.
hear here