As promised, I'm back with more from our Wentzville City Hall. Seems we are having another rash of employees abandoning Mayor Guccione's dingy. Wednesday night's meeting brought the news that a key engineer to the Heartland Park handed in his resignation.
Public Works Director, Ms. Susan Mueller asked the board to grant $26K to hire an outside firm to continue work in the engineer's absence, in order to avoid delays. Purchasing Director, Jerry Hillin stated; "There's an emergency clause in the purchasing policy that allows for the mayor to sign the contract so there would be no construction delay. I will have the document on your desk for your signature first thing in the morning." As I expected, Guccione would prove—once again—that he is incapable of doing his job, part of which entails making "emergency" decisions. "I won't sign this without a head-nod from the aldermen," Guccione replied. In response to Guccione's ridiculous request, President of the Board, Rick Stokes said, "You're the mayor, this topic is not on the agenda for a consensus of the aldermen."
God help the City, and all of us, if we were endangered by a real emergency and waiting for our pseudo-mayor to get his nod from the aldermen. Does anyone sense a trend in his brand of lack-leadership, or as some say, am I picking on him again? I've said it a thousand times; these aldermen need to stop bailing him out! Let him do his damn job by himself. So what if the city falters, the citizens need to know just who they elected.
In a later discussion about revising the ethics policy, Alderman Sonya Shyrock asked, "Can we add something in the Ethics Policy about morals?" I wonder who she was talking about Mr. Mayor? It's funny because as the discussion went on, it got into policemen being able to run for office and still keep their cop job. One point made was that they could campaign but weren't allowed to say or advertise that they were officers of the law. Guccione said "If they were campaigning and had a friend with them, the friend could mention it. I guess there's a way around everything." Leave it to a pardoned, well-practiced, unethical, political sneak to dwell on sidestepping the law—God help us.
In his alderman report, Stokes talked about a developer who would like to build up the Wentzville Parkway near the intersection of Highway 61. This end of the Parkway has been overlooked for over fifteen years while the City offered tax-incentives to everyone and their brother to build at the other end near Highway 70. Stokes asked the board if they would consider investigating the possibility. After some discussion, every board member, save one, had a positive response, that one was Ward 1 Alderman, Cheryl Kross.
For some unknown reason, Kross has it in for Ward 3. Last year she flipped on her vote to accept Guccione's unpopular appointment of Michael Hays to the Ward 3 seat, and now she's against investigating tax-incentives to develop the Ward 3 end of the Wentzville Parkway. Last May I noticed certain changes in Kross' deportment and it inspired an article entitled; TTC (Third Term Crazies). Today, I'm convinced that she thinks; it's ok for her to interfere with the development of other wards but roars like a tiger if any other alderman is against benefiting her Ward 1. Five Aldermen saw the advantage of investigating tax-incentives for the possible development of the ignored section of the Parkway including her ward-mate Alderman Forrest Gossett, but she doesn't even want to let the city look at the possibility. I have a question for Alderman Kross: What has Michael Hays contributed to the meetings, or city, in the ten months he's been in the Ward 3 seat, that you thought was worth flipping your vote for? And, why would you oppose the obviously needed injection of commerce on the Ward 3 end of the Parkway? I'm now convinced that she is deeply in the grip of the third-term crazies.
I've run on a little longer than I wanted to today because there was so much to come out of the meeting of August 14th, but I did want to leave you with one more little tid-bit: There were comments made about Ranken Technical College and how in their first year they have exceeded their three year projections regarding enrollment. In this time of reflection, I can't help but quote our illustrious Mayor Nickolas Guccione; Ranken was a great partnership." He couldn't be more correct, but it begs the question; Mr. Mayor, why did you oppose Ranken coming to Wentzville, and vote against the Ranken partnership at every single opportunity you could find (three times)? You even campaigned against it, I'm surprised someone doesn't need to remind you to breathe.
PSS: The fuse has been lit and I got a ho-lota-mo, see you soon.
Public Works Director, Ms. Susan Mueller asked the board to grant $26K to hire an outside firm to continue work in the engineer's absence, in order to avoid delays. Purchasing Director, Jerry Hillin stated; "There's an emergency clause in the purchasing policy that allows for the mayor to sign the contract so there would be no construction delay. I will have the document on your desk for your signature first thing in the morning." As I expected, Guccione would prove—once again—that he is incapable of doing his job, part of which entails making "emergency" decisions. "I won't sign this without a head-nod from the aldermen," Guccione replied. In response to Guccione's ridiculous request, President of the Board, Rick Stokes said, "You're the mayor, this topic is not on the agenda for a consensus of the aldermen."
God help the City, and all of us, if we were endangered by a real emergency and waiting for our pseudo-mayor to get his nod from the aldermen. Does anyone sense a trend in his brand of lack-leadership, or as some say, am I picking on him again? I've said it a thousand times; these aldermen need to stop bailing him out! Let him do his damn job by himself. So what if the city falters, the citizens need to know just who they elected.
In a later discussion about revising the ethics policy, Alderman Sonya Shyrock asked, "Can we add something in the Ethics Policy about morals?" I wonder who she was talking about Mr. Mayor? It's funny because as the discussion went on, it got into policemen being able to run for office and still keep their cop job. One point made was that they could campaign but weren't allowed to say or advertise that they were officers of the law. Guccione said "If they were campaigning and had a friend with them, the friend could mention it. I guess there's a way around everything." Leave it to a pardoned, well-practiced, unethical, political sneak to dwell on sidestepping the law—God help us.
In his alderman report, Stokes talked about a developer who would like to build up the Wentzville Parkway near the intersection of Highway 61. This end of the Parkway has been overlooked for over fifteen years while the City offered tax-incentives to everyone and their brother to build at the other end near Highway 70. Stokes asked the board if they would consider investigating the possibility. After some discussion, every board member, save one, had a positive response, that one was Ward 1 Alderman, Cheryl Kross.
For some unknown reason, Kross has it in for Ward 3. Last year she flipped on her vote to accept Guccione's unpopular appointment of Michael Hays to the Ward 3 seat, and now she's against investigating tax-incentives to develop the Ward 3 end of the Wentzville Parkway. Last May I noticed certain changes in Kross' deportment and it inspired an article entitled; TTC (Third Term Crazies). Today, I'm convinced that she thinks; it's ok for her to interfere with the development of other wards but roars like a tiger if any other alderman is against benefiting her Ward 1. Five Aldermen saw the advantage of investigating tax-incentives for the possible development of the ignored section of the Parkway including her ward-mate Alderman Forrest Gossett, but she doesn't even want to let the city look at the possibility. I have a question for Alderman Kross: What has Michael Hays contributed to the meetings, or city, in the ten months he's been in the Ward 3 seat, that you thought was worth flipping your vote for? And, why would you oppose the obviously needed injection of commerce on the Ward 3 end of the Parkway? I'm now convinced that she is deeply in the grip of the third-term crazies.
I've run on a little longer than I wanted to today because there was so much to come out of the meeting of August 14th, but I did want to leave you with one more little tid-bit: There were comments made about Ranken Technical College and how in their first year they have exceeded their three year projections regarding enrollment. In this time of reflection, I can't help but quote our illustrious Mayor Nickolas Guccione; Ranken was a great partnership." He couldn't be more correct, but it begs the question; Mr. Mayor, why did you oppose Ranken coming to Wentzville, and vote against the Ranken partnership at every single opportunity you could find (three times)? You even campaigned against it, I'm surprised someone doesn't need to remind you to breathe.
PSS: The fuse has been lit and I got a ho-lota-mo, see you soon.
