The Status Quo - No! Vision, No! Communication - submitted by Common Sense

This evening I received an anonymous e-mail from a person who says that they are a frequent viewer of the Hound and they said they knew the Mayor and Council personally and stated they could not post this information with their name on it for fear of reprisal. I seem to hear that a lot from people who send me e-mails. So I present their submission below, because it does not have outlandish claims and is opinion based. My opinion is that I can't see where I disagree with any of it.

In today's HDR, we finally get to read about two more candidates running for City Council - Michael Robbins and Hank Guess.  If you'll remember last Tuesday the HDR treated us to pieces on Zagaroli and Brannock - along with Ribbons, all running for the Ward 5 seat.

In reading these articles in the paper one thing stands out to me. Where are the expressly stated goals for the next four years?  This contrast is most prevalent in the two pieces of Brannock and Zagaroli - which was only compounded by the fact that they ran side by side last week. While Mr. Zagaroli covered nearly everything he's done over the past 40 years, he offers nothing as to what we can expect over the next four.

Mr. Brannock on the other hand focuses entirely on what he feels needs to be accomplished over the next four years.  His focus is on Hickory's future, not the past. He realizes Hickory is changing.

Where is Zagaroli's vision? He seems to be playing the incumbent game of not stepping out on a limb and proposing anything that may shake things up. His signs say Progress, yet he tells us nothing about how we are going to get there from here.

And on that topic, isn't it odd how challengers are often the most vocal in their criticisms. However, once elected those criticisms quickly vanish.

Jill Patton easily wins the prize for this. In the year leading up to her election, the Little General led a group that hounded the city over the Lowe's Hardware store decision. She made claims that Lowe's would be an eyesore; wouldn't "fit" into the community; traffic congestion would be an issue; and she even went as far as to claim that kids safety would be compromised.

Now, here we are all these years later and what do we have. The kids' safety issue is in fact a non-issue; there are no traffic congestion problems to speak of; and as far as being an eyesore - well, Lowe's is easily the best developed property for miles in either direction in Hwy 127. In short, Mrs. Patton was misguided at least (dead wrong at best) in her criticisms as a candidate.

What's more interesting is that since being elected, Mrs. Patton's critiques of the city have fallen silent. It would appear that Councilwoman Patton has single-handedly cured Hickory City government of all its woes. Well done, Mrs Patton!  She even goes a step further now, and simply can't understand why people are so critical of the City. She's fond of saying about those who do criticize the City that they "just don't have information 'We' do."

It's interesting that she would say this. She believes that if people only had the same information she has access to then all the citizens would better understand - and most likely agree with - what the City is doing.

Mrs. Patton, if you truly believe this, then why do you march in lockstep with your fellow Council members in opposing any and all efforts to make those Council meetings more accessible to the citizens by having them broadcast on Charter's Public Access Channel?


Sincerely,
Common Sense