Seems Like No Leadership, Just Big Spenders
June 13, 2011 2 Comments
The city of Coral Gable is replicating a model that we have seen before. These are the elected officials, politicians starting their next campaign, indifferent voters giving birth to indifferent politicians who have pharaonic dreams about big money and big projects. They see the future of the city as glamorous spending on capital projects to which they may attach their names, like empty museums of the all-so-brief history of the city. Renaissance of what–I thought we had a great quality of life already.
Backward budgeting–get the money first and then spend it all on who-knows-what, pitting the citizen groups against each other to see who gets the most.
About Stephen E. McGaughey
Coral Gables Watch 
Not necessarily. Everything gets more expensive. When we look back ten years from now, will we wish we did the work when construction companies were struggling, money was available for low rates and the homes were still retaining most of their value? Perhaps. Yes, there is some delight in having new toys and appealing to many constituents’ favorite programs and projects. That’s human nature. When I look back a decade, I wish David Brown was not hell-bent on raising everyone’s salaries and benefits, giving away P-Cards to city staff to make them feel privileged while wining and dining and philandering like a sailor on leave while ignoring the obvious problems with pedestrian amenities on Miracle Mile — back when the cost was $6 million.
No doubt the city needs some improvements, well selected for the biggest impact on the future of the city or to maintain what we have. That list should be done first and costed out properly like you would renovate your house, and then borrow the money. Interest rates are not going anywhere for several years due to US economic stagnation. Hence, refinance to save cash now and then borrow what you need for the urgent projects. We shouldn’t spend anymore than we need while cutting back taxes a little.
Now we have a government as much out of control as when David Brown spent our money wildly on salaries and benefits, the Country Club, etc. and just as much indifferent to community comment. The procedure is exactly the same: we are seeing absolutely no change in participation or openness after the election than the Slesnick years. We are getting what we paid for and little more.