Demand Honest Goverment

                     Cities should not be developers


I will not accept the paid, professional staff leading the City.  Our elected officals must be the leaders of the city, because only the elected officials are accountable to the voters.   For far too long our  elected officials have been passive, timid, lazy rubber stamps for whatever ideas that the paid senior staff wants to pursue.

For example:  Who on the current council is the "Champion" for the New Downtown?  Who is, or at least acts as, the author and primary advocate of that idea?  It is my experience that only the senior staff supports the New Downtown.  The elected doesn't seem to have any ideas, or even care at all.  The New Downtown is a complete failure as measured against the plans presented back in 2013 when that City Council activated the financing mechanism (TIF- tax increment financing). 

The record of that project is one of repeated financial failures.  Remember Schnitzer West?  How about Solara-grid?  Or Marczyk Fine Foods?  Where is the "food court" that over $7 million dollars has been dedicated?  Nearly all projects and land sales at the New Downtown have received some sort of government subsidy or sweetheart land price.  Part of the financing has been through the dishonest use of Certificate of Participation (COPs).

Ultimately all the wasted money is a burden of the taxpayers of Westminster.  Instead of spending that money on improving Westminster for everyone, the city will spent that money on the failed dreams and boastful claims of a bumbling and impotent city staff.