By Ida B. Torn
“But don’t be downhearted, I can fix it for you, sonny,
It won’t take too long, it’ll just take money…”
Alan Jackson lyrics
The Talkin’ Song Repair Blues
I watched the live stream of the Parish Council meeting this past Tuesday night. I felt like my computer had been hacked and I was actually watching a really bad attempt at comedic improv. A good portion of the meeting was spent on complaints about roads and when they were going to be fixed. Here’s a news flash folks: Our opportunity for having roads FIXED died with the sales tax initiative that was voted down last year.
Now comes the news, at least according to Councilmen Chris Paige and Rodney Bedgood, the residents of this Parish are so mad about the conditions of their roads that they’re going to vote down the ad valorem taxes on the ballot in March. Now, there’s a real solution! Let’s shut down the government so we can get our roads fixed!
The final punch line for the night came from Councilman Paige, who voted against anything that actually made sense. At the end of the meeting, when he learned that his pet road project was on the verge of getting additional funding from the State, he laughed and said that he’d go back and change his vote had he had that piece of information. He only voted “no” on everything because he was mad. Now, that‘s real leadership!
Unfortunately, that also seems to be the mindset of Parish residents and it appears that March 25th will be a day of reckoning. Based on Tuesday night’s Council meeting, I reckon Parish residents want things to get exponentially worse before they decide they truly want things to get better.
The sound you hear is the sound of progress screeching to a dead stop. As Mr. Boyt said it some of those should not be in a elected office of any kind. Councilman Paige needs to find something else to get mad about and move on. He’s just in the way along with a few others just on a power trip just wanting to see their names in print. Councilman Paige this is not a playground where when you don’t get your way you get mad and get your toys and go home! The people did not elect you to act like a four year old. Anybody that’s runs for an office and votes down things that would be good for the people that voted them in needs to resign and walk away, let someone who cares about the job take over.You should pick up your toys and go you don’t have to go mad ,just go.
First off, I have no issue putting my name on here because well, I don’t hide behind screen names. With that said, I am voting NO on the renewal and hope all fed up parish residents do the same. Just the other day, a council man told me that if we want to fix the problem with tax millages as in whos getting too much and whos not getting enough, then we have to vote them down and start over. For too long we have just rubber stamped the tax renewals in this parish and now we are in the shape we are in.
The tax last year failed because the people were not given the info they wanted, I for one am glad it did because the city had its hand out wanting some of the money, yet they have the money to blow on that stupid riverbank project and “Sports complex” Want in on hand, you know what in the other and see which one fills up first.
The residents of the rural parts of this parish are sick and tired of all this, Sadly no matter what happens on the election, nothing is going to change.
I am with you John.I live in Robeline and travel some pretty bad roads.I commute to Mansfield daily and could save time on Spanish lake road,but it is mostly 85% pot holes so I have to go long way to I-49. I would rather take the chance of being pulled over for avoiding pot holes then hitting them .I have travelled a lot of this country and by far Louisiana has worst roads in the US.But they do have Front Street.LOL
It is hard to be sympathetic when people continue to elect those that have no business in public service. Many are in for the wrong reasons. If some other agencies don’t get their act together they will lose their tax millages when they come for a vote. People need to watch their home owners insurance premiums. If they go up, ask, why?
Now that’s real leadership for ya. 😉