The First Step...

Last month, August, was the second largest month ever on the Hickory Hound with 3,203 unique views and 6,293 page views. I couldn't have done it without the help of the No Steps Backwards Coalition and Chad Bolick, who by telling people not to come to the Hound, pushed them right to us.

Big Thanks,
Thom

The Definition of Cronyism and the Million Dollar Tent

From Wikipedia - Cronyism is partiality to long-standing friends, especially by appointing them to positions of authority, regardless of their qualifications. Hence, cronyism is contrary in practice and principle to meritocracy.

Cronyism exists when the appointer and the beneficiary are in social contact; often, the appointer is inadequate to hold his or her own job or position of authority, and for this reason the appointer appoints individuals who will not try to weaken him or her, or express views contrary to those of the appointer. Politically, "cronyism" is derogatorily used.^[1]


Crony capitalism is a term describing an economy in which success in business depends on close relationships between business people and government officials. It may be exhibited by favoritism in the distribution of legal permits, government grants, special tax breaks, or other forms of dirigisme^[1] Crony capitalism is believed to arise when political cronyism spills over into the business world; self-serving friendships and family ties between businessmen and the government influence the economy and society to the extent that it corrupts public-serving economic and political ideals.


The Hickory Hound: This is written in response to Rudy Wright's assertions this morning in the Hickory Daily Record.  It has been stated that only .5% of the people in Hickory serve on the various boards and commissions. Of those .5%, many appointments are people who have very close ties with the council. And in some of those positions, except where mandated, the turnover rate is very low. And I have seen well qualified people turned down who don't ascribe to the Council's philosophy or have fallen out of favor with the Council, while at the same time Council goes as far as to appoint their own family members to these advisory committees.

We have also seen this Council use city funding to grant low interest loans to their own children.

The Sign

The incumbents sure don't like the message from the sign that we put up that states, "Tell the Union Square Elite - No more million dollar tents."

People associated with Union Square say just ask Mick Berry, he'll give you the numbers, when those numbers have been requested, but not given, in any professional context. We want to see the line items of where and what monies are accounted for and to whom. Is that so much to ask when it comes to public money?

It is a matter of trust, and the City Council plays a role in that. First it was going to cost $286,000 in December, then they come back with $426,000, and now Rudy Wright has stated that it is $501,000 and we are just supposed to take his word for it as though it is some sort of decree. And Hickory Inc. has now said they must add additional lights and cameras and we haven't seen the appropriations for that. If we don't understand this, it is their job to help us understand this. We are not stupid!

We have seen that city labor was used and there has been no accounting for the man hours in relation to that... We have seen that a local non-profit agency's labor was used to substitute for certain labor usually managed by city workers, while they were away working on the Union Square structure. This is an agency with whom the City Council has apparent deep ties. And this agency is already receiving monies from the City under a grant program... There has been zero public discourse about this labor program being used as an additional benefit for this agency and funded through the public treasury as what I see being an extra benefit. All of this has to be factored into the cost of that structure.

Then there is the additional cost that will naturally occur in relation to maintaining the structure over its lifespan. What are the costs of maintenance? We have already seen several additional costs related to the unforeseen/unintended consequences of the construction of the Union Square structure. Will there be more? We think so.

We were told that the highest cost of the physical structure itself is the fabric and that fabric has a lifespan of 7 to 10 years. And folks, then it is going to have to be replaced. Can you see a million dollars? I can see a million, if not more.

Is it a tent?

What we know is that this structure was originally intended for the use of the Farmer's Market to replace the individual commercial canopy tents that they had used in the Hickory Station parking lot and subsequently in the east end of the Union Square parking lot. That is where the notion that this structure is a tent came from, because they have replaced the smaller individual tents with one big tent.

As Joe Brannock has stated, "Yeah, you can't really call it a tent, because a tent at least keeps you dry."

The farmers aren't even enjoying the overhang portion of the structure. Because of the translucent nature of the structure, along with the fact that many vendors are actually outside of any shaded area, we have been told of a case of heat exhaustion and others being very uncomfortable  and that it is very hard to maintain the quality of the produce and other items being sold. People and products were soaked a couple of Saturday's ago due to these same problems with the overhang and  lack of protection for the vendors.

Jill Patton said there was input from vendors at several meetings related to this subject, but we were told that it was more of that good ole Hickory, "If we want your opinion, we'll give it to ya!" style of ramrod discourse (Hickory Farmer's Market questions the Big Tent on Union Square - March 17, 2012). And there are also many questions about how and why the creation of this structure came into existence to start with. While she might consider this sniping and griping, these are customers (the vendors) of the city and we believe they should be listened to. These vendors pay good money, where is the customer service?

And it sure looks like this thing is going to cost our community at least a million bucks to me!!!

Elite

 The Burning resentment towards the CEG Ward Election Sign; I have heard it from many of the NSB people. When are we going to take that "Lie" down.

Folks, we are not going to ever lie down.

The other side is the one that has it in their minds that they know better than the rest of us... That they don't need public input on public projects... That they can manipulate processes and numbers to justify their personal ambitions, desires, and goals... and we are supposed to lie down and Rudy Wright is going to tell us what our sign can say. Are these words "dangerous?" Does King Rudolph have a problem with our freedom to speak and express ourselves? Who really seems to be the one that has the dangerous idea here?

We have all been told, "You just don't have the information we have." Any information we don't have is a result of Hickory Inc. not being forthright in divulging it with the people. They are a club. They are a small group of people who have empowered themselves through secrecy and lack of compassion towards their fellow community members to use the Public Trust towards their own personal desires, goals, and achievements. They are supposed to be public servants and work towards the interests of the public, but instead they think we are supposed to be here for them and we are just supposed to go along with whatever they decide... whatever they decree... and just lie down.

Listen to the Words of Rudy Wright in his Robocall the other night, "It is unfortunate that we have this referendum." Which hat is he wearing in that call? Is he the Mayor? The head of the No Steps Backwards Coalition? A citizen? Or the authoritarian King Rudolph?

2,707 people legitimately signed the petition. No one lied to them... No one held a gun to their head... It is a historical event, because it is the first time a Referendum has been forced on a local government by the people in Catawba County. Hickory Inc. fought this petition every step of the way and we have now come to the final stages. 

Will it pass? That is up to the will of the people. I put my trust in the people to make that decision. It is their choice.  Rudy Wright doesn't seem to be comfortable with that.

Enjoyed the Ward Voting Debate on Hal Row's Show - Harry Hipps

I’d like to offer a couple of thoughts on the WHKY debate on the ward specific election, and the campaigning in general.  In the interest of full and fair disclosure I should say that I know Joe Brannock personally but do not personally know Mr. Byrd, though I would like to. Joe is a smart, likeable guy with a lovely family. And though I haven’t met Paul Byrd, he sounds like a thoughtful, concerned man who thinks things through and is sincerely interested in the welfare of the City.  I also will say that I plan to vote Yes! for the amendment. 

Both Joe Brannock, representing the Citizens for Equity in Government (advocating for the amendment) and Paul Byrd, representing the No Steps Backwards Coalition (opposing the amendment) represented their positions well in an informed and civil debate. Both were persuasive and articulate and I think this was one of the finest events in Hickory’s political history. It was evident that both gentlemen had carefully thought about the facts and had the best interests of the City at heart as they made their cases. They were frank in their disagreement, but stuck to the issues in a statesman like way and it was a true pleasure to hear this in our City.

It struck me as ironic that this is exactly what is missing in City government and why we are discussing this issue in the first place. City council votes unanimously almost all the time with little or no discussion. Some matters are routine of course and don’t require a debate, but the controversial and more substantial issues aren’t often given proper debate either. Furthermore, the vote is over before public input is allowed and so the citizens are routinely deprived of the type of debate we heard on the radio. This lack of input and discussion is a contributing factor in much of the disgruntlement we have today and has led to some poorly conceived ideas.

The contrast between the great debate between Mr. Brannock and Mr. Byrd and the debate with Mr. Brannock and Mayor Wright was stark. The WHKY debate was public, recorded and civil. The Republican’ Women’s debate was public but drew the Mayor’s ire when it was recorded. I’m not sure why because it was PUBLIC, and if you want to talk to the citizenry what difference does recording it make?  Furthermore, the Mayor struck an angry, conspiratorial, and even threatening tone that has characterized the debate (with some parties on both sides going to the nastiest and most personally vicious arguments).  It was disappointing to witness the same political atmospherics we have in Washington politics applied to Hickory. It’s fine to articulate your views and opinions passionately, but the ominous, dark, patronizing tone was sad to hear.

At the end of the debate on the radio, it was good to hear Joe and Paul joke about eggs and ending on a neighborly note even though they disagree on this issue. Years ago, politicians debated, campaigned, then after the vote, put the election behind and worked together to do the people’s work. All concerned were glad to live in a country that allowed everyone to speak their mind and still live as neighbors when we don’t always see eye to eye. At the end of this, too, we are going to have to move forward, because there will always be challenges to face. And we have to do something to keep Hickory the nice, livable hometown we want it to be while adapting to a tough, fast changing world.

To those who oppose this issue I would like to ask this: If this isn’t the way you want to go, what do you propose to allow the voices to be heard that aren’t heard now? What do you propose to focus on the blighted, neglected areas of Hickory? What do you propose to change the rubber stamp council that votes unanimously almost all the time and doesn’t allow for public comment until after the vote is taken? And to those that wish to comment on all sides of this issue, can we have more of the enlightening, thoughtful competition we heard on WHKY and less like we heard at the Republican Women’s Forum? We can disagree without being disagreeable and draw strength from the different perspectives we have. Thank you, neighbors!

Hal Row's Show - Ward Voting Referendum Debate - August 29, 2012

I appreciate you coming to catch up on information pertaining to Hickory as a community or to find out information related to the current Ward Referendum Election process. I promise that no information below will be profane in any way. And a special thanks to those who have come here in spite of the Mayor, and his friends, telling you not to. Your open mindedness is especially appreciated.

Below is the debate that occurred this morning on Hal Row's First Talk program presented without any commentary by myself. A special thanks to Hal Row and WHKY for recognizing the historical context of the preceding petition, the subsequent certification by the election board, and the discussion of the issue. This has been a true Public Service provided by Hal and WHKY. In my book, he gets an A+ for his involvement and neutrality on the issue and letting the issue speak for itself.





As I have said, don't shoot the messenger. I do support the passage of this Ward Referendum and I make no bones about that, If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to contact me at hickoryhound@gmail.com

William Shadup Gets It -- Letter in the HDR from Sunday

This has got to be a pseudonym, but these comments are spot on. Some are comments I have alluded to in this blog and a couple are points that I haven't even thought of:

From the Hickory Daily Record on Sunday, August 26, 2012:

I have a few questions regarding the referendum on Sept. 18: Why is the movement to defeat this refer­endum spearheaded by incumbent city council members and city leaders? What are our city council members so worried about? Do they not serve each of their wards well enough to get re-elected by the voters they represent? How is it not a conflict of interest for people such as our honorable Mayor Wright, and council members Jill Patton and Bruce Meisner to contribute money to a campaign to defeat the measure? Why wasn’t everyone in her ward asked to attend the meet­ing arranged by Sally Fox at Patrick Beaver Library a few weeks ago so she could inform us as to why we are better off voting against this measure?

Instead, it was only for people who have contributed to her cam­paign, many of them not from her ward. Why are we paying $50,000 for a special election, when the mayor has stated that the council could vote to enact the true ward system?

Of course, he also stated that the city council could not vote to enact the true ward system. So which one is it? Do we have a mayor that is incompetent or dishonest?

According to his Facebook page, Mayor Wright supports voting no on Sept. 18, because he wants to pre­vent “crackpots” from being elected to the city council. Why would a mayor use such an ugly word to describe his own constituents?

I think we know who the “crack­pots” are Mr. Mayor, thanks to you and the city council.

WILLIAM SHADUP

Hickory