We just featured the Enquirer ed page challenging head-on the City's property tax hike. That was good news. Then, today, the Enquirer was in Court seeking documents relating to the disastrous Streetcar project, demanding accountability from City Hall. The headline: "Streetcar Plan Details Missing."
The topic of the headline is that City Hall refuses to release details of vendor bids for the Streetcar vehicles themselves -- $20 million of the $120 million project cost.
That's good as far as it goes, and perhaps these twin editorials show the new Ed Page editor Doug Holthaus actually intends to do his job, and start asking some hard questions from City Hall. Candidly, after seven or eight years of pablum and cheer leading from the Ed Page at the Enquirer, we are a tad skeptical.
For example, the Streetcar accounting floated by the City has a "minor" $50 million gap between identified costs, and the budget. Mayor Mallory and his merry band of thieves have offered no explanation of how they intend to bridge that gap. To date neither the Metro Page nor the Ed Page has breathed a word about the 42% shortfall that will soon sock taxpayers right between the eyes.
So, it appears the Ed Page is willing to "Sort of" challenge the City powers that be, "sort of."
Except it's not the city refusing to release the bid numbers, but rather the streetcar vendors themselves who don't want their bids revealed.
ReplyDeleteInteresting twist:
ReplyDeleteThe City has the documents. The Enquirer is seeking the documents. The vendors have no standing to object to their release.
The public records law allows for a City to release certain documents to requesters, and to withhold them from the requester under certain circumstances.
That a third party seeks to protect documents they already surrendered is kind of funny, but not merited in the law.
You know what's"kind of funny"? COAST still thinking they are relevant. Two charter amendments (written by COAST's Anderson Township resident Chris Finney), two council elections, and a mayoral election. THE CITIZENS HAVE SPOKEN!
ReplyDeleteThe law should violated anytime a non-liberal wants public records. Only liberals should be treated fairly by the government.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteYou know what's"kind of funny"? COAST still thinking they are relevant.
If Coast is so irrelevant, why do you read their blog and post comments?