tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088603658552825500.post8189002570385729462..comments2023-11-05T05:53:29.465-05:00Comments on The Hickory Hound: Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 6, 2009James Thomas Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04359970774315269896noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088603658552825500.post-20103083093634540502009-10-08T09:00:09.280-04:002009-10-08T09:00:09.280-04:00I just think it is interesting how everyone in the...I just think it is interesting how everyone in the country is taking a pay cut but our officials in a high power position (ie. Mick Berry). The pain of the economy should be spread all over and not just to the lower salaries. It should start at the top and not end there. We have a landscaping director in the 80K range for a very small city and we are loosing site of what makes this place great, LOCATION. Manufacturing needs to be driving this place and I am not talking about furniture. We lead the way in recycling in the country, why are we not building solar panels and have them on everyone of our city buildings? I was in Greenville, SC last weekend and I spoke to a local there and I told him I lived in Hickory and he said, "that was us 10 years ago". Drop the taxes, privelage licenses, salaries of the top officials, regulations, over-zealous police, and lets get back to prosperity where you know and buy from your neighbor. This is how an economy needs to be. We are not getting anywhere here by allowing all these big-box stores to move in and go out of business (Circuit City) except a bunch of empty skeletons that look terrible. Lets get our people walking and riding our bikes to work instead of hopping in car for 2 miles. Lets use these federal funds for building a place that extends the farmers market downtown and creates more bike paths for the folks that use that as thier primary means of transportation. Lets tear down some of these old factories in the city, and build some community gardens so organic produce can be readily available for the people who need it. We are in a re-set period in America where all of us are rethinking debt, ownership and many other ideas perpetuated by the establishment. Lets think for ourselves and give the power back to ourselves instead of delegating all of our legislative powers to elected career politicians. Lets get some new blood in the Council and some younger blood in there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088603658552825500.post-2441544124303706352009-10-07T20:59:16.920-04:002009-10-07T20:59:16.920-04:00Part of what hasn’t been recognized here is that t...Part of what hasn’t been recognized here is that the sweetheart deal that Riverhawk’s predecessor got is DIRECTLY attributable to Mayor Rudy Wright. <br /><br />Just after Mr. Wright took office, it was time to renegotiate with Profile Aviation. City Staff members had researched the earlier agreements and noted the problems – there was no control over Profile’s actions, essentially, and they acted as though they owned the airport. Hickory’s airport had a horrible reputation among pilots because of the way they were treated by Profile. Many opted to go to Morganton or Statesville for fuel (which was cheaper), service and overnight accommodations rather than to have to put up with the lack of service at Hickory.<br /><br />There was a plan of action for improving things during the contract renegotiation. Unfortunately, Mayor Wright was good buddies with the guys that owned Profile. The result was that the discussion would occur in closed session at a council meeting and by the time Staff could meet the following morning already knew the negotiating parameters. Thus, nothing could be fairly negotiated because the other side already knew not only the strategy but the details of how it would be approached. Rudy was seen numerous times leaving Profile’s offices on Wednesday mornings, where presumably he’d briefed them on the prior evening’s meetings.<br /><br />Imagine if the Panthers tried to play a football game, but the other side knew all their hand signals and how they intended to approach not only the game, but every single play. It’s much harder, if not impossible, to win that way – especially if the coach keeps intentionally sending you down the field the wrong way!<br /><br />What ended up was a sweetheart deal that gave away the farm, all the cows on the farm, the crops yet in the ground and the farmer’s wife! That agreement was entered into over significant objections by virtually all of the staff members involved.<br /><br />You can’t negotiate anything close to a fair deal under those circumstances. Look at the contract – there’s no independent audit provisions – Hickory’s income from the airport was based solely on what Profile TOLD them they made. There was no way to get to the books for an independent audit, no control over hours of operation, prices to be charged, etc. <br /><br />Instead, all the control was given to Profile.<br /><br />There was a chance to eliminate that when Riverhawk took over, but once again it was lost. We can thank Jill Patton and Brad Lail for failing to have any significant input into that, but in fairness, they had no records to review to know the issues. Instead, they knew only that which the contract allowed them to know – a contract that was overseen by Rudy for the benefit of his friends at Profile.<br /><br />Hickory had a chance to take their airport back, but instead got a task force packed with people who either knew nothing about airports or were looking to skew the deal. How often does that kind of thing happen here? To figure it out, you really only have to look at who leaves and when. Tim Deike, who was the Airport Manager then, left about this same time. Coincidence? Or, like so many other department heads, did he realize that it’s not possible to fight that type of corruption without the support of a strong City Manager who has the balls to stand up for what’s right. Hickory could have easily taken over operations at the airport, and the income from those operations gone to make it self-sustaining. Instead, we end up with a tiny piece of the action, no control over the airport and once again the taxpayers get the short end.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com