"Since 2003, there have been 2,012 votes cast in council. Every single one was voted for unanimously," said Landau. "Every spending bill approved, every ordinance approved. Not once was a dissenting vote cast."
Has anyone ever heard of FIVE politicians that agreed on 2,012 votes in a row? I certainly haven't.
Since scientists haven't perfected brain-cloning, the most likely explanation is that someone else is calling the shots and that all five council members are little more than puppets doing as they are told. What is the point of having a 5 member council when 4 could leave and nothing would be any different?
Unless you've been a coma for the past 30 years, this scenario will not shock you.
In attempting to clarify why Council has voted unanimously in every vote since 2003, County Executive Director and GOP Spokeswoman, Marianne Grace, informed voters "It's not like council members are debating something that would require the partisan give-and-take found at higher and lower levels of government." Grace cited the War in Iraq and rubbish disposal contracts as two issues which were substantive enough to warrant debate.
"Amazingly Partisan" Grace seems to believe that all issues between "rubbish disposal" and the War in Iraq are not really topics for debate by GOP Council members. Well, it seems to me that this kind of thinking is the kind of rubbish we need to remove from County Council
If multiple contractors are competing for work, wouldn't you expect that at least once a member of Council might disagree with the other four? Oh, wait, I forgot. This is Delaware County where no-bid contracts are the rule, not the exception.
This lack of debate and fresh ideas is symptomatic of the stagnation in Delaware County and the aging GOP political machine that has mismanaged it.
And what of the new crop of GOP
Ann O'Keefe, John Innelli and David Landau are diverse individuals, but unified by a real desire for truly open government:
- end No-Bid contracts
- disallow members or employees of pension boards to accept any gifts from money managers,
- call for a swifter process for making county records available,
- broadcast all council meetings on television, and
- require the text of all proposed ordinances to be made public before the council considers them for final passage.
Instead of paying FIVE GOP Council people for ONE set of weak ideas, voters can finally get their money's worth.
This November, Voters can end this cycle of monolithic incompetence and vote for change (for a change).
