The following transcript is taken from the October 8, 2015 meeting. That meeting included an opportunity for citizens to tell the City Council what they thought about contracting with a single trash collection service that would not allow any other trash companies offer services within the City of Sandy Oaks. The transcript is of the conversation between Alderman Earnest Gay and Catherine Rendahl.
Transcript
Rendahl: As I stated at the public hearing, there are 4 other companies that are disposing of people’s trash and I’m going to make the assumption that people are happy with those companies as well. I think it is incredibly unfair to make this kind of decision for a community of 4,000 people without it going to a vote. It needs to go to a vote of the populous. You can see here {points to room} we have a very low turnout. We didn’t have a much higher turnout for the public hearing. The bulk of the residents out here don’t even know this is happening.
Gay: You are correct, they don’t know, a lot of them don’t know because they don’t get themselves involved. One of the things I’m torn about is judiciary responsibility to this community. The amount of money that would be saved by the average resident out here by going to a single collector would more than pay for half of your taxes every year. That’s how great the savings are by going with one of these
Rendahl: But does that supersede these people’s choice in the matter?
Gay: Uh, in man instances yes. And basically because most communities you get into…
Rendahl: Okay, that’s a real bad precedent you’re setting.
Gay: I understand what you’re talking about, but understand that right now we have these trucks coming through driving every single street every time they pick up. You’re looking now at dropping that down to 1 or 2 trucks a week instead of having all of these companies. Plus the dumpster trucks, that are even heavier than the regular garbage trucks.
Rendahl: I get that. I still don’t think it rises to the level of, right now, 4 people making decisions for 4,000 people. Without adequate information being sent out. You’ve got to at least let people know what you’re doing to them.
Gay: Well… we’re not doing anything TO them, we’re doing things FOR them.
Rendahl: They do not look at it that way. If they don’t have a choice, you’re doing it to them. This is an ethical issue.
Gay: Well, um, like I say, to me, to me it’s a no-brainer. Because its just so much less money that you’re gonna spend. Because it’s basically half price of what most people are paying out here right now.
Rendahl: Well that would be very simple then. Explain to people why this decision would be better for them and let them vote on it. If it’s a no-brainer they’ll vote “yes.”
Gay: But as far as that’s… Yes, but if you bring this to a vote do you really think it is prudent for us as a Council to run a $8 or a $10,000 voting for this item?
Rendahl: Okay, then if you can’t do that why don’t you send out postcards and let people return them to let you know what they think? You know, it is a democracy. Or It’s supposed to be.
Gay: Yes, and that’s why the people of the community elected the people that are sitting up here to make those decisions ’cause most of them don’t come out and make the decisions.
Rendahl: I understand the apathy too. But, taking advantage of the apathy is also very interesting.
Gay: I don’t see it as taking advantage of anyone.
Earnest Gay Has Actively Excluded the Community
The City Council has never notified, informed, or contacted the residents of the city in any way since the city started. No letters, no postcards. In fact, the city has never bothered to create a sign telling people when and where the city council meetings are being held. Whenever someone has brought up the idea of sending notices to the community, Earnest Gay is quick to point out that that would cost money.
Gay told Rendahl that he and the other Council members were elected in order to make decisions for people in the city. That might be a true statement under typical circumstances, but Gay and his fellow Council members took advantage of an election that hardly anyone knew about.
The Committee to Incorporate Sandy Oaks, including Pedro Orduno and Jim Clement, told the community on April 24, 2014, that they would announce to the community the deadline to apply to be able to run for City Council so that everyone would have the opportunity. On May 27, 2014 those same men held a private meeting at the WPPOA clubhouse to introduce SOPAC members to one another. As in, CISO hand picked Earnest Gay and others to be their puppets and decided not to involve the community.
Gay didn’t even bother to campaign for office. SOPAC bought him posters and placed them throughout the community for him. Sandy Oaks News contacted him, but he ignored the invitation to post his political platform. Of the 3 community meetings held before the first election, Gay only bothered to show up to the first one, which was set up by none other than SOPAC itself. At that meeting, he even yelled at a man saying the man didn’t have a right to know about the incorporation election because he wasn’t a registered voter.
“Saving money” is the excuse Gay uses to not inform the community. This, from a man who completely made up the budget he presented to the public in September 2015. An annual budget is required by state law and it was Gay’s responsibility. The purpose of a budget is to provide a fiscal plan for the future 12 months of the city. The plan is to state how much is going to be necessary to maintain things like roads, law enforcement, animal control, etc. But Gay’s plan/budget was completely made up and he even admitted so at the budget hearing, saying “I had to have numbers and they had to be on paper.”
The bottom line is that Earnest Gay doesn’t care at all about involving people of the community, representing what the people actually want, or about the fiscal well being of the city. Earnest Gay only cares about himself and his wallet.
Comments are closed.