City Employees Need Our Help                                                                                                   December 25, 2009

We are blessed this Christmastime in many ways. We live in one of the most beautiful parts of a free country where all citizens have equal rights and equal opportunities. We should always be grateful for our freedoms and liberties and thankful to those who stood up to defend them. It is most disappointing during this very special season to see fellow citizens treated badly and it is now time that we also stand up and offer assistance to those in need of help. We are, indeed, talking about that "lump of coal" our city manager and the Hot Springs board of directors gave to our hard-working city employees. While all of the department heads got hefty raises, the rank-and-file employees got pay cuts. We thank the many city employees who called, e-mailed, or otherwise voiced their concerns. In spite of their unwarranted plight, none failed to wish us a heart-felt "Merry Christmas."

If we take even a cursory look at city operations, we quickly discover far too many chiefs and not enough Indians. This fact is probably most evident in the police department but also applies to all facets of city management. Most citizens would likely be shocked to learn that the entire city usually has only four to six patrol officers on duty which is far below the national average. Sometimes a few more are on radar (traffic) duty or directing traffic for private businesses at our expense but check out how many corporals, sergeants, lieutenants, and captains are (supposedly) on duty. Is there any doubt this fact contributed to Hot Springs having the highest property crime rate (for cities over 30,000) in the entire nation? Now our citizens are facing many hours with even fewer patrol officers and the newspaper reports entire fire stations will be shut down for certain days. Obviously, it is more important to our city directors that the free-spending city managers be rewarded than it is to show any concern for consequences to public safety.

Our city directors and city manager will quickly tell you their actions were based on an "emergency condition" and "hard times" due to reduced sales tax revenues. Do we hear a "Bah Humbug" somewhere? Aren’t there dozens of places where spending could be reduced without taking it out on the low-level employees? How about eliminating Code Red? A Google search indicated this unnecessary and expensive program began in Florida as a telemarketing firm. It appears that once the federal government shut them down, they switched over to being a child finding organization. After discovering there were already Morgan Nick and Amber alert systems, they switched to being an early warning system. Even though this was made known to our directors, they provided these former telemarketers with every water and sewer customer’s name, address, and phone numbers without our permission and over the objections of many. People in Texas, Oklahoma, and other out-of-town property owners now receive unwanted and expensive phone calls at strange hours to inform them not to go in areas where limbs are down or that their garbage won’t be picked up tomorrow since it is a holiday. How many in our city have experienced an increase in telemarketer calls since the city sent your information to Code Red?

In the middle of the city’s perceived "budget crisis," one director traveled to San Antonio at taxpayer’s expense and over $67,000 for additional travel remains in the 2010 budget. Even funding for the sister city program is still in the budget. Huge amounts for software development and maintenance are earmarked to be spent including items such as placing all the city's trees in a database. We guess the database for flowers and bushes has been delayed for a couple of years. Friends of directors and city management are still being rewarded with six figure plus amounts for important sounding items such as "economic development" without sufficient justification that their previous efforts have paid any dividends. In fact, when asked at a public meeting, the "Chief" of this effort refused to name any jobs he has or may bring to our city and flatly refused to name any firm he says he was talking to at present. We have taken the liberty of providing a link to the proposed budget so that everyone can search and find their own exorbitant items which remain in the 2010 budget. Click here to go to the 2010 Hot Springs budget.  Whoops, sorry but it appears the city has removed the budget from their website.  We wonder why.  Bet you do too.

In spite of the city’s "hard times," directors continue to spend millions for expensive out-of-town consultants, attorneys, engineers, underwriters, planners, auditors, bond experts, lobbyists, etc. For example, $3.2 million continues to be paid to an engineering firm for design of a water plant at a location that has been rejected by the state. It now appears that another multi-million dollar expenditure was approved without public comment due to placement as a consent agenda item. Check agenda item 11 on the December 15 agenda. Can you believe the same agenda that cut city employees' pay while raising department heads' salaries included $3,369,913 for more out-of-town consultants? Oh, the agenda hides the amount of money they approved, but you can see it on page 54 of the board packet, well hidden among other consulting contracts, fees, etc.

We have already stated our disappointment in seeing deserving employees get a lump of coal for Christmas while the Scrooges got gold. It is now time that all citizens let their city directors and city manager know what they think of such actions. If the directors remain true to form, they will not give us an opportunity to speak at a board meeting or otherwise make our voices heard but we can demonstrate our concerns at the ballot box in November. Get every city resident you know to register and be ready to vote. How about a New Year’s resolution to take our city back from the self-serving selfish Scrooges? Happy New Year!!

Prairie Dog Town (In Hot Springs?)     A guest commentary                                                           October 7, 2009

There is a cuddly, soft, lovable and somewhat cute animal indigenous to the Great Plains of Colorado called a prairie dog.   Turns out that he is not all that lovable. He builds “Prairie Dog Towns”, undermining the very community that he lives in, causing many a cowpoke to break his neck when his horse fell into the prairie dog town along with the leg of the horse.  With all that, they also carry diseases such as the plague.  Also he is not a dog at all, but a member of the rodent family much like a Rat.  So hated is the prairie dog by the farmers and cattlemen, that they take sport in shooting the little buggers as they pop their little heads out of their holes.  Even arcades in pizza restaurants have similar games in which you try to bop them in the head with a bat.  If you hit or miss, he will go back into his hole and another one will pop up to take his place.

This is the one unique characteristic of the flat-land rat, if you shoot at or hit one of these filthy creatures, one of his buddies will invariably pop his head up to see what is going on.  Strangely enough if they were only smart enough to stay underground, they would most likely remain safe.  The only other way to rid yourself of these dry land wharf-rats is to suck them alive into a vacuum truck much like a septic tank cleaning truck.  Even then you most likely will not get the Head Rat.  Left alone, they are very prolific and reproduce underground and out of site until they start popping back up again. They operate under a hierarchy protecting the main rat.  You might even compare them to a “Good Ole Boy Society”.

By now I think that it is pretty obvious where this is going but here it goes anyway.  Hot Springs operates under the “Good Ole Boy Society”.  Recently a “Civic Leader” was removed from office and four of his buddies held up another “Leader” up to poke his head up and to take his place.  It has became obvious that this, new to our society creature,  had a unsavory past.    Yet another creature with a questionable past is now complaining because the cowboys used his buddies for target practice.  Seems that the only way to get rid of this pestilence in our community is to bring out the septic truck and suck them out of their holes all at one time.  Now comes the problem, what to do with them?

Response to above commentary (10/10/09):

The prairie dog commentary was hilarious but the analogy was absolutely true. We certainly seem to have our share of varmints around here. You are right. It is time to bring out the septic truck and suck them out of their holes. A septic truck seems like the right tool for the job, since it appears that most of these varmints are full of the same thing that septic systems are. The question of what to do with them once they are in the truck is a good one. Here are a couple of suggestions.

1)  Empty the truck into a hazardous waste site, preferably somewhere out of state.

2)  Ship the truck to new York or New Jersey where the contents can be loaded onto a garbage barge and dumped at sea.

3)  Run them through their own expensive wastewater treatment plant so that they can get an up close and personal inspection on the improvements.

Sometimes News is Not News but What is Not News is News                                             October 3, 2009

It is unfortunate that this article even needed to be written but due to the headline in today's Sentinel Record, numerous e-mails, and several phone calls, we had no choice.  Yes, the state ethics commission is investigating an individual's complaint alleging five possible violations similar to those in today's newspaper.  The five allegations as listed in the newspaper are:  1) GGGG (Garland Good Government Group) canvassed his neighborhood for the recall of Weatherford.  2) GGGG voluntarily participated in litigation involving the recall election.  3) GGGG mailed campaign literature and ran radio advertising opposing Weatherford.  4) GGGG erected campaign and yard signs opposing Weatherford.  5) GGGG failed to register as a Ballot Question Committee or political action committee.  Although none of the five above allegations were accurately listed in the newspaper, they are close enough for the public to understand in a general sense.  We will not list any actual specifics due to the fact that such investigations are intended to remain confidential.  Once a final finding is made, the public can be made totally aware of all actual facts.

Those of you who are associated with the GGGG already know that items one through four above are totally inaccurate.  As to item five, you will recall that the state ethics commission told us verbally that we didn't need to be a Ballot Question Committee or a political action committee.  It is disturbing and, perhaps, illegal and unethical that the newspaper and their source chose to not respect the confidentiality of such an investigation.  Except for this denial and comments above, we think it inappropriate to comment further although we really, really wish we could.

The most disturbing thing about today's headlines is that the newspaper thought this was newsworthy.  Even a comment from the alleged source states, "I don't know if they have done anything wrong, but I knew enough to question if they might have."  The source further states, "Maybe the things they are doing are completely within their First Amendment rights, and if so, good for them."  Wow, "might haves and maybes" are sufficient to warrant a front page top headline covering all five columns of their newspaper?  A couple of weeks ago, when the Sentinel Record was notified that the GGGG was hosting a United States State Department visit with six Nicaraguan officials, they didn't even bother to send a reporter.  Obviously, that event was not newsworthy enough for our local newspaper.  The GGGG did cover that occasion and it can be read on their website at www.GGGGNews.com.

Hot Springs a "Second Home Community"   (Guest Commentary by Karen White)       September 18, 2009

Following is a letter sent by a lifelong resident of Hot Springs to each member of the Hot Springs Board of Directors - Tue, Sep 15, 2009. We and many others requested a copy after it was read to the board during the board meeting by her husband. It is a sad but true commentary.

To the Board of Directors:

I want to ask the directors to consider a motion. A motion to table the rate increases to residential customers only.

The businesses and developers say in order to keep growing, we have to increase the rates. I have a serious concern of exactly what is GOING to “GROW” in Hot Springs.

While watching a local morning TV news show last week, there was a report about how Arkansas is recovering from the down turn in housing construction. New home construction and sales in towns near what they call the Metro, which included Hot Springs, are quickly increasing. Of the 10 or 12 Metro areas, Garland County as a whole, stuck out like a sore thumb, we were the only area listed in red. Garland County came in at a negative 23% housing growth, while everyone we are compared to, had tremendous gains.

The explanation they gave for the marked decline in Hot Springs ? Hot Springs is now deemed a “SECOND HOME Community.” In a nutshell, people don't want to live here any more. They want to come here to party, gamble, play on our lakes, and go to the track, but they don't want their families living here.

They go back to their wonderful schools and safe communities, and they use us. The people who own tourist attractions, hotels, and the bars, are the only people who profit from them.

Let those people pay for the increases.

Hot Springs isn't a bunch of strip clubs, bars and restaurants catering to the tourist, it's the people. The people who raise their children and the people who retire here. We can't keep raising the cost of living in a town with nothing to offer but a bunch of seasonal part time tourist jobs with little future. And we can't make it so expensive that retirees go to other states.

We must improve our schools and our neighborhoods and we must not raise utility rates for residential customers, unless we are purposefully and with forethought turning Central Avenue and our town into the Hot Springs “STRIP”

If there is no intention by this board to encourage anything but the almighty tourist dollar, the town so many families call their hometown, is really already gone.

Look at it from a business standpoint. We all saw the reports last week about the school benchmark scores. People who build companies that bring families to town to live , they don't search for stories in local newspaper meant to make us feel like everything's okay. They look at numbers that anyone can get online.

When you pull up the actual report, it doesn't say, “The Hot Springs School District is still doing great things!” it says this year, 58 percent of our 8^th graders don't meet standards in Math, and 61 percent don't meet standards in English, and our drop out rate is at 47% . Look at the numbers for the last several years. We have to attract families to this area, and we do it with our schools.

A huge percentage of the children who attend our schools are eligible for free and reduced cost meals. Those families, the majority of the families in the Hot Springs School district, can NOT afford these increases in their basic needs. Water and sewer are not luxury items. They are not optional.

Finally, our neighborhoods. I live in district 5 between Oaklawn Elementary and Hot Springs High School. Mr. Ramick and other board members drive through my neighborhood now. Go the route my children take to school down Vineyard, Fleet, Leonard, Clark, and Woodlawn. Overpriced dilapidated rent houses, boarded up meth and crack houses, vacant, abandoned, overgrown, homes used by the homeless or the addicts. I remember when it didn't look like this here. A few weeks ago, I watched from my front window, 2 blocks from Oaklawn School as a young man adjusted the hand gun he carried stuck in the back of his pants. This used to be a beautiful neighborhood. This is my hometown and for those of you who have something other than just a business interest in this place, it's your home too.

Find all the leaks before you ask the citizens to pay. Fund the mandates to keep growing, something all the developers say is absolutely vital, but fund them with profits from the only thing that is growing. Fund it from the businesses who profit from the tourists.

A&P Takes "Arrogant" Position, Makes Hypocritical Comments                                        September 5, 2009 

"We feel very confident that we will win before the trademark board. If we should lose that, we will continue to use the logo..." Steve Arrison – Sentinel Record Sept 4, 2009.

The absurdity of the above quotation earned it our selection as “quote of the month.” For Hot Springs' A&P chief, Steve Arrison, to thumb his nose at the decision of the United States Trademark Board speaks volumes about his respect for yet another federal agency.  Arrison's quote is also being used in local circles as additional justification for the rapidly increasing use of the name “Arrogant Arrison.”  While describing those who differ with Mr. Arrogant's position, another of his quotes in the same news article was, “they are just people who want to get their names in the paper.”  This quote came in second to the one selected.

After reading the newspaper and listening to the radio this morning, we learn that Mr. Arrogant and his “want-a-be” A&P board member, Dick Antoine, have dubbed the historic public meeting with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a “staged” event that was “ambushed” by “people who want to get their names in the paper.”  It is unfortunate that Mr. Arrogant and his good ol' boy comrades are in positions to influence the good people of our community.  What is fortunate is the fact that our citizens have heard this type blabber for so long that they are beginning to become skeptical and, thankfully, most in our community are a lot more perceptive and intelligent than Mr. Arrogant and his cronies give them credit for being.

The historic meeting's first speaker from the audience was president of the highly political chamber of commerce having recently announced filing as the only city chamber in the state to have its own PAC (political action committee).  The chamber president attempted to set the tone of the meeting by pointing out that he had several “supporters” of Mr. Arrogant’s position with him in the audience.  It may be worth noting that Mr. Arrogant’s wife is a senior staff member of the political chamber.

Irrespective of what our so-called leaders tout as an "ambush," the truth of the matter is relatively simple to ascertain.  The U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Mr. Ken Salazar, revealed that he met privately with Mr. Arrogant and our mayor the evening before the public meeting Thursday (Sept 3, 2009).  Mr. Arrogant and his Little Rock attorney were the primary culprits who made a strong effort to take over Thursday's public meeting.  In fact, Secretary Salazar finally had to tell the A&P attorney (Mr. Speed) to “sit down” and give someone else a chance to speak.  Obviously, those few people who dared to offer an opinion that differed with Mr. Arrogant quickly earned his disdain and have now been described by him as “people who want to get their names in the paper.”  How arrogant and hypocritical is it that Arrison sticks around to be interviewed by the newspaper while the people he chastises as “publicity seekers” leave or decline to be interviewed by the media?

It is true that two Garland Good Government Group (GGGG) officers spoke at the meeting as did two members but even these people did not all speak on the logo issue.  In fact, the GGGG officers did not even mention the logo dispute or Superintendent Fernandez. Two pastors spoke opposing the A&P being allowed to use the name “Hot Springs National Park” in conjunction with promoting non-family, non-wholesome activities such as gambling.  A former National Park Superintendent and Regional Director spoke opposing the A&P as well as a lady and a gentleman seated behind her who voiced their support for the current superintendent.  Even if we assume Mr. Arrogant and Mr. Antoine are correct and consider that all of those eight people were part of a “staged” event, those speaking for much longer periods included three members of the A&P Board, two A&P attorneys, two members of the Downtown Merchants, the city manager, Mr. Arrogant himself, and a couple of the city’s good ol’ boys.  A total of twenty audience members spoke (see list below).  If that doesn’t sound like a balanced “public” meeting, it is because it actually was not.  You had to have been there to see that four A&P members, one of the A&P attorneys, the mayor, the city manager, and the city attorney were seated in the first couple of rows which were “reserved” for them.  If this meeting was “staged” or “ambushed,” who do you think staged it?  Could it have been the A&P and the city’s good ol’ boys?

There were members of the general public who sat and stood in the back that did not speak.  However, their voice was heard when they collectively “booed” the A&P’s Little Rock attorney on a couple of occasions when he refused to answer Secretary Salazar's questions and their applause was also heard every time Park Superintendent Josie Fernandez was praised.  In fact, when first introduced, Congressman Ross, National Parks Director Wenk, Senator Pryor, and even Secretary Salazar did not get as much applause as did Superintendent Fernandez.  One of the GGGG officers went so far as to point out that Secretary Salazar’s reference to “the wishes of the community” may be different than what Hot Springs’ leaders were telling him.  Oh, one final interesting point of note: The mayor got up and was walking out of this historic meeting when Secretary Salazar told him to return to his seat.  How rude is it and how embarrassing is it when our chief elected official tries to walk out on our U.S. Congressman, our U.S. Senator, our Director of National Parks, our National Park Superintendent, and the United States Secretary of the Interior while he is speaking?  We offer our humble apologizes to you gentlemen and lady.

Speakers: US Congressman Ross, US Senator Pryor, US Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, Chamber President Byerly, GGGG Member Anabel, A&P President Arrison, A&P attorney Speed, GGGG President Burhenn, GGGG Chair Driggers, Citizen Steplock, Pastor Carney, A&P Chair Moore, A&P and City Director Daniel, City Manager Hudnell, County Judge Williams, A&P and Downtown Merchants member Harper, GGGG member Hedrick, A&P Attorney Hickam, Merchant Tillman, Businessman Gallas, Pastor Jones, Citizen Silverman, Retired National Park Regional Director Castleberry.

The Dead Cat   (Guest Commentary by Ted Burhenn)                                                             August 28, 2009

Once upon a time a long, long, really long time ago, a boy named Lance had a pet Cat named Fluffy.  While playing in the street one day, a Lady from the City drove along and ran over Fluffy.  Seeing that Lance was deeply hurt, the Lady gave him $50.  Lance thought to himself, “This is a pretty good deal. “  He called his cousin Steve.  They tied a string to Fluffy and proceeded to drag that dead cat back and forth all day collecting $50 every time.  Then they took Fluffy into the County and started collecting $75 every time someone ran over poor dead Fluffy.  Question is, “how many times are we going to have to pay for that dead Cat?"

The proposed utility rate hike is like that dead cat; we have paid for it before.  We were told that in order to expand our production, we would have to increase our “Impact Fees”.  In order to pay for the storm water runoff problem, we would have to levy a TAX/FEE of $3 dollars each month.  Kent Myers and Don Cochran orchestrated a rate increase by convincing the City Board of Directors that it was harder to pump water and sewer from the county to the county than to it was to pump from the county to the city and back.  (Actually that study was done in California and the names were changed to Hot Springs.)  They used a phrase, “It is generally accepted that the rates in the county should be 50% more than the city.”   Boy, are they getting some mileage out of that cat.  How about, “It is intuitively obvious to the most casual observer?”  Means nothing, no basis, just phraseology, but it IS a fresh cat.

Out of about 30 “Justifications” for raising the rates (two or three times the present rate) most of which we have already paid for in other rate increases.  Remember all those Public Meetings last month on the proposed location (Carpenter Dam) of the new water treatment plant?  It’s still in there.   The city was notified by the Health Department by a June 3, 2009 letter that the selected location was not suitable because it did not it did not represent the best possible source of drinking water.  Yet Lance and Steve continued to drag that cat back and forth and even throwing in a “Meow” every once in awhile.  By the way, that study who's only redeeming value was to determine the worst possible place to put a water treatment plant cost you, the rate payer, over $3 million.

Oh, before I run out to feed my cat, one of the items on the wastewater justification is the replacement of utilities in conjunction with the CITY’S re-pavement program (cost $550,000 per year or $2,750,000 until 2013 at which time they will drag the cat again).  So aren’t we in the county the lucky ones?   We get to pay 1.5 times as much to pave the city’s streets.   Of course if we have a pavement program in the county, we also have to pay the city to move the utilities.  Enter the Dead Cat on South Moore.  Even thought the State pays for the bridge and the county pays for the utility and easement rights, the City includes $600,000 for this project in their wastewater cost justifications.  Seems to me the boys have just drug out yet another expensive Dead Cat for the ratepayers to pay.  

Let’s do the right thing and bury Fluffy.

What is the Real Story About Hot Springs Water?                                                               August 16, 2009

Proposed New Waterworks: Here We Go Again? (Guest Commentary)

August 3, 2009

Ethics 101 Class Given to City Board Members

April 5, 2009

The last city board meeting was a total embarrassment to the citizens of our fine city.  Most citizens have previously witnessed rude and unwarranted behavior by the mayor and city directors directed at those unfortunate citizens who dared to speak to our city board.  Many citizens have even witnessed childlike behavior by the mayor and some directors toward other members of their own board.  Although previous meetings have included expletives and really bad behavior, those encounters paled in comparison to the March 24^th city board meeting.  DVDs of this circus can be purchased from the city public relations department for $1 making this an incomparable entertainment value.

Only a handful of citizens attended the March 31^st city board agenda meeting and only three stayed over for the city board workshop meeting which followed.  This meeting was most amazing because our city manager and city attorney, at great risk to their own continued employment, demonstrated a great deal of character and nerve by informing the board that their last meeting was “an embarrassment” and admonishing the very board they work for. These were proud moments.  Unfortunately, except for those three citizens, only a few city employees witnessed these proud moments.  The city’s television cameras were off and no reporters were in attendance.  Fortunately, one citizen had a pocket recorder so we do have a record.  Also be advised that we are asking for a copy of the presentations made by our city manager and city attorney so that the public can view it when it is published on the website www.HotSpringsTalk.com.

All citizens of our community will likely take great pride in these two gentlemen when you hear or read the overdue messages they provided to city board of directors.  Our task now is to make certain that our juvenile behaving board members accept the messages without their typical loud-mouth responses or attempts at retribution.  Remember, this board just fired every member of three important city boards because they didn’t like what those unappreciated, hard-working, volunteer citizens were saying.  Hopefully, the public won’t allow them to fire our city manager and city attorney for finally pointing out some of the board’s painfully obvious misdeeds.

If you have an opportunity, tell our city manager and city attorney how we citizens admire and appreciate them for taking such a risky step in their attempt to convert our juvenile mayor and board members into actual representatives of the people rather than continuing to serve their friends and special interests.  The true meaning of “conflicts of interest” and the lessons in Ethics 101 that they provided to our city board was very well done although somewhat past due.

A Test to Determine if Your City Leaders May be Corrupt

February 25, 2009

Your city leaders may be corrupt if:

Your newspaper headlines show daily murders, robberies, and thefts but your leaders say that crime is "not a problem" here.

Your leaders state that unfavorable FBI reports, state crime reports, and even city crime records are wrong rather than taking steps to reduce crime.

Your elected officials abuse their travel privileges by vacationing in Disney World, Vegas, Reno, New Orleans, Washington D.C., and Japan several times every year at taxpayer expense.

Your leaders continue to push for more new taxes even though your city already has the highest per capita taxes in the state.

Your police department has internal cliques involved in cover-ups, under reporting of actual crimes, improper fraternization between officers, unwarranted and unqualified promotions, and consequently, way too many Chiefs and not enough Indians.

Your oversight committee members such as civil service boards have business partners, sons, and other family members on the very departments they oversee.

Your leaders openly and blatantly modify ordinances and referendums to rename "taxes" so that they can be referred to as "fees" thus deceiving the public as to their actual tax bite.

Your leaders want to enforce restrictions outside of the city so they can collect additional "fees" and enhance revenues but treat non-residents with disdain and rudeness.

Your leaders cover-up or misrepresent tax schemes to deny votes or voices of their citizens with catch phrases such as, "It’s for the Kids."

Your leaders hire six laws firms in addition to the city attorney to fight a handful of citizens who petitioned to allow the public a vote on taxes, all at the taxpayer’s expense.

Your leaders who approve spending your tax money are constantly in court due to non-payment of personal debts and some have taken bankruptcy several times.

Your leaders more than double "fees" and permit costs for businesses, developer, etc. who wish to build or renovate properties.

Your leaders constantly increase the amount of "red tape" a business or industry must go through in order to do business in their city thus discouraging economic development.

Your leaders put several "mom and pop" restaurants out of business by imposing ridiculous restrictions such as "grease trap ordinances" which require grease traps even for restaurants that do not use grease such as pizza places.

Your elected officials chastise each other and any member of the public who dares speak up at city meetings.

Your leaders hold multiple "special elections" for pet spending projects because allowing the issues to be decided during general elections usually results in those projects being defeated.

Your leaders manage to close all normal polling places during special elections and hold a poorly advertised election at a location convenient only for the proponents.

Your city attorney fails to prosecute all offenses committed by elected officials.

Your leaders have records of wrong-doing by other leaders shredded.

Your leaders are found guilty of violating multiple state laws and regulations but nothing is done about it.

Your leaders admit guilt to ethics violations which requires removal from office but they don’t get removed.

Your leaders consistently place items on official agendas, discuss, and vote on issues and items that are clear "conflicts of interests" often even when such items are pointed out.

Your leaders use your tax money and hire multiple expensive attorneys to any fight litigation you may bring against them.

Your leaders are constantly looking for ways to increase your taxes but do almost nothing to cut their own budgets.

Your leaders propose to build new expensive city halls and other structures rather than maintain the one they currently have.

Your leaders impose "off-the-wall" fees and taxes such as "assembly taxes" for restaurants, fees for sending fire trucks to fender benders, storm-water run-off fees added to water bills, etc.

Your leaders threaten, intimidate, or hint that you or your business could be targeted if you don’t support them or speak out about their unscrupulous practices.

Your leaders lie or otherwise mislead you on issues to keep you from opposing their providing favors to special interests.

Your leaders refuse to allow the public to speak at public meetings by providing no "public comment" section and limiting opposition comments on items to be voted on to three minutes.

Your leaders consistently "waive the rules and read by title only" rather than allow the prescribed three readings which means that items are approved or denied before you know what was voted.

Your city directors consistently "waive competitive bidding requirements" rather than only during emergency conditions.

Your leaders don’t hesitate to install special stop signs or speed humps for elected officials even when policies and traffic studies prohibit them.

Your leaders install safety hazards against the wishes of the public which restrict traffic flow, impede ambulance, fire, police, and sheriff vehicles while bottlenecking tourists and residents.

Your leaders misuse their position to hire or contract to friends, relatives, or the "good ol’ boys" who run the city.

Your leaders use code enforcement and law enforcement officers for their own selfish and self-serving purposes plus cost free traffic control and security for selected businesses.

Your leaders use an already to small police department as a courier service for elected officials.

Your leaders and their "good ol’ boy" friends refer to local organizations that print the true facts about their actions as "negative" or "aginers."

Your city directors fire all members of up to three volunteer boards at one time whenever those boards deny special treatment to director’s friends and relatives.

Can you imagine city leaders really expecting the public to believe their ‘spin’ if they state that the "public doesn’t understand" the reason for firing all members of several volunteer boards was not to get rid of opposition but rather, to reorganize and establish "term limits?" Would their ‘spin’ ring true if their first reported appointment to a planning commission was a realtor/developer who had already spent more time on that volunteer board than any other living person? Would their spin ring true if the appointed realtor/developer and his partner have obvious conflicts somewhat akin to appointing a developer "wolf" to watch the planning "henhouse?"

Could you fathom city leaders bragging about "improving" the diversity of a historical commission by appointing two architects from the same firm or would you wonder if this could be another "conflict of interest" if one of them was a former "good ol’ boy" mayor?

If any of the above hypothetical situations exist in your city, your city leaders could be corrupt.

Taxpayer Money Being Used for Political Purposes?   (a guest commentary)

January 5, 2009

The chamber’s request for funding [at city board meeting Jan. 6, 2009] should certainly not be granted until questions are answered concerning the propriety of the city (and county) funding an organization that, for example, 4 years ago performed a mailing in support of Tom Daniels campaign and more recently, has been involved in numerous political activities and now, indicates that it plans to form a PAC. It is unacceptable that the city is considering funding an organization that is becoming increasingly a political organization. Although many chamber activities are worthy, political meddling is not a proper use of the city’s funds. Such use of tax money is likely illegal. 

Copies of audited financial statements of the chamber’s entire operations should be first obtained by the city and also made available to the public. Copies of such statements for the last several years may well indicate several questionable and/or illegal uses of public funds. Note the following city requirements with which the current chamber requests appear to not be in full compliance. 

2-5-8. Funding criteria - Outside agency contracts.

The following criteria shall be considered for an award of contract and receipt of funds from the city of Hot Springs.

(a) Requests shall be received in the office of the city manager by January 15 of each year.

(b) The city manager will prepare a summary report on each proposal and present to the board of directors each February for annual funding.

(c) The request must comply with the Arkansas Constitution (Article 12, Section 5) which states:

No county, city, town or other municipal corporation shall become a stockholder in any company, association or corporation; or obtain or appropriate money for, or loan its credit to, any corporation, association, institution or individual.

(d) The services or activities to be performed must be services or activities of a legitimate governmental nature (services which the city might otherwise choose to perform from its own resources).

(e) Any agency considered for funding must: (1) Be of a non-profit nature and controlled by a board of directors, the majority of whom must reside in the Hot Springs/Garland County area.

A list of the names and addresses of the board of directors and executive director shall be submitted with the application for funding.

Supplement No. 29 Title 2 ? Page 14.1

HOT SPRINGS CODE 2-5-8

PUBLIC FINANCE

(2) Provide, with their request, evidence of an accounting system which documents their ability to operate in a financially sound manner;

(3) Provide an audited financial statement within four months of the close of their fiscal year for any year in which city funding is received. The name and address of the agency’s external auditor must be included in the request for funding along with a statement of intent and ability to comply with the audit requirement; and

(4) The request must clearly state the services or activities to be performed by the requesting agency on behalf of the city with the funding requested.

(f) Funding for outside agencies shall be divided into two budget categories; economic development agencies and other non-profit agencies as follows: (1) Economic development agencies shall: a. be considered based on an ability to produce new or retain current jobs or offer other economic impact in the Hot Springs/Garland county area; b. be funded from year to year at a level to be established by the board of directors; and c. shall have priority over other agencies in the allocation of budget funds.

(2) “Other non-profit agencies” shall: a. be considered based on a demonstrated benefit to the community and to the taxpayers of Hot Springs; b. use city funds for the provision of direct programs or activities and not for administrative or maintenance costs; c. not be funded in an amount exceeding 25% of the organizations total budget; and d. not receive more than 25% of the total funds budgeted for this category. (g) All agencies receiving funding from the city of Hot Springs shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

Title 2 ? Page 14.2 Supplement No. 29

*Where Have All Our Leaders Gone?  -   A Commentary by Lee Iacocca

December 27, 2008

Reflections  -   A Guest Commentary by Ted Burhenn

December 11, 2008

Have you ever stood in front of a mirror?  You can see where you are and that which is behind you, but you can’t see where you are headed.  Perhaps the City Government should pause for a moment and gaze at the “Looking Glass”.

For a decade and a half, we have basically been under the control of a City Manager.  We should not have to give praise for the things done right because that was expected, nor should we levy blame for those that went wrong for that no longer serves any purpose.  We would be amiss however if we didn’t reflect on what we might have done better. 

Areas where we fell short were in the downtown renovation.  The Baptist hotel and others are still in the same shape of disrepair as they were 15 years ago.  Could we have done better?  I hope so.  Our neighborhood services, (code) has been busy dragging our citizens to court for overgrown grass while literally a hundred flat tires in one parking lot exist on Central not to mention the broken glass.  While trying to fix the mole hills we have forgotten the mountains.  It is no longer a tool to improve the community.  

We watched as the Fiber Optics Park wasted millions of dollars so a few politicians could benefit.  We were so embarrassed that we even changed the name.  We had great expectation on the Parking Garage only to find that it didn’t generate enough revenue to pay for the maintenance. One of the most flagrant projects was the bottle neck serving a few merchants at the expense of the masses and endangering the lives of the citizens.  Did they really have the best interest of the citizens at heart?   

For those who have not seen the latest Hot Springs Strategic Plan, you are in for a treat.  It is 10 pages (some less than 1/4^th typed) of back patting that would not have received a D- at sixth grade level.  A Strategic Plan should consist of ambitious yet achievable goals with a realistic path to success.  An example would be an increase of 15% in light industry by contacting and offering tax incentives instead of advertising seasonal promotions which only create seasonal jobs. Maybe we could offer the industries space at Fiber Optics Park at reduced rates.  Instead, our Strategic Plan is a verbal description of the Valley of the Vapors and the mountains. 

And where is our budget headed?  Hot Springs has one of the largest budgets per capita in the state, the largest hamburger tax and one of the most serious crime rates in the nation.  Yet when we had a chance to build a new jail, we allowed greed to take over and add fire stations, radios and general fund increases.  We needed the jail and we need to man the jail. All the money collected by a new tax should go in support of the new jail. This should be about need, not about want.  END OF STORY.

Yet the past week we heard from our departing City Manager.  His greatest disappointment was the failure of his annexation plan.  City Managers should be about enforcement of policy, not the creation of policy.  Annexation failed because the County Citizen did not want a “more wasteful” form of government to tell us how to do it “Right” while The City was doing it “Wrong”.  There was a negative reward policy; increased county water and waste water rates to make it look bad to live in the county instead of making it look better to live in the city.  The City has to realize that development within or outside of the City is good.  We all buy most of our goods and services within the City anyway.  Good for business, Good for Sales Taxes, Good for the City Budget, Good for County Government, basically Just Good Government.

Yes it is time to reflect on the “Good, Bad and Ugly”.  Keep the Good, fix the Bad and throw out the Ugly.   Review the reinstatement of the Water and Waste Water Commissions.  Review the reinstatement of the Mayor/Alderman form of Government.  Reduce the budget, build a jail, reduce crime, increase jobs and listen to the people.    If every Director, Justice of the Peace, Mayor and Judge would only pick one item to fix that went wrong in the past decade and a half, think how many improvements would be made during the next year alone.

But alas, Dorothy, we are not in Kansas anymore.

Misrepresented Sales Tax Defeated                                                                                   September 12, 2008

Thanks to the voters of Garland County who used facts presented here and elsewhere to make an informed choice, we are not now straddled with a perpetual tax that the politicians can use as they please.  We feel strongly that the public voted properly in spite of, or perhaps because of, the deception, withholding of facts, and outright untruths fed to us.  However, we cannot celebrate while we still have a high crime rate, a "revolving door" jail, and poorly paid public servants.  We must all work together to solve these problems.

We have been told by members of the Garland Good Government Group that they intend to provide a forum for public input.  We would like to join them in their efforts so please e-mail us with your thoughts on where a new jail should be located, how big, how lavish, and how it should be operated.  Give us your ideas on public safety including PIT (prevention, intervention, and treatment) programs.  Please share whatever expertise or recommendations concerning public safety issues you may have and also join the Garland Good Government Group at their future meetings.

Your humble correspondent feels that the county should NOT share any taxes with the city and, in fact, should not allow the current "tax and spend" city politicians to have any influence in its design, construction, or operation.  Irrespective of what we were told, state laws provide for counties to own and operate jails and provide funding methods that do not require sharing of taxes.

We have left posted the unbelievable information about the "Jail Tax" election on the "Commentary" page and the Digital Radio Expert submission on the "News" page.  We note that topical information and Jail Tax News is at www.jailtax.com concerning the new radios for our police and sheriffs departments.  To be fully informed, you really need to click on "Digital Radio Concerns" at the top of the page and view the videos listed there.  Also check out www.spacityvoice.com for interesting articles.

Local Newspaper Becomes Biased and Officially Adopts City Leaders Positions                 August 30, 2008

Yesterday's stories regarding the petition drive allowing the public a vote to reduce the A&P tax appeared to be somewhat slanted but today's Sentinel Record editorial should leave no doubt in anyone's mind that our local print media has totally ceased being an unbiased, responsible journalistic organization.  We are cutting the newspaper a bit of slack here because many locals tell us that this paper has always been biased.  When the newspaper refused to publish our "letters to the editor" we thought to ourselves that this was somehow not right.  When the same newspaper refused to print our paid advertisements even though we provided documented proof of their accuracy, we knew this was not right.  Today's editorial should send a strong message to the public as to the painfully apparent lack of objectivity of this paper.

Some of today's comments disguised as corrections contain elements of truth but even that truth stops short of telling the complete story.  For example, the A&P tax was, indeed, once voted on by citizens of Hot Springs.  However, it should have been noted that the A&P tax was created and later increased by the Arkansas legislature with no vote allowed by the public.  The only time our citizens received a "right to vote" on this issue resulted from a lawsuit which the city lost and then had no choice but to allow that single vote.  The legislation authorizing the A&P tax has no sunset clause, no periodic review or provisions for the public to vote, and no legally required reporting or accountability.  Various groups have attempted to amend the law but the Arkansas Municipal League successfully lobbied committees and killed most of these attempts.  Those bills that actually survived committees were fought by the Municipal League and lost by floor votes in the legislature.  The Municipal League has already announced that they plan to add another cent to the A&P tax during the next legislative session.  Most likely, the item will be initially disguised as new taxes for public parks.  Perhaps you should speak to your state representatives and senators about this.

But back to the objectivity of our newspaper.  Do you recall how numerous persons were trying to tell the public how the Mid-America Science Museum vote was not really about the museum at all?  In fact, the promoters (which appeared to include the newspaper) went a step further and promoted the issue as being "For the Kids."  They also asked that all polling places be closed except for a location with no listed phone number or postal address.  On top of this, they made it yet another "Special Election" so that a larger percentage of those people voting would be their allies and those who they had convinced the issue was really about the museum or the "kids."  This apparent deception worked because the issue passed by a margin of 3 to 1.  Okay, surprise, surprise, yesterday's news article finally quoted the city attorney as saying that the petition to allow the people their right to vote may be rejected because the funds may be encumbered (by the election).

This was the message that many of us unsuccessfully tried to get to the people.  THE ELECTION WAS ALL ABOUT ENCUMBERING THE A&P TAX SO THAT THE PEOPLE COULD NOT EVEN PETITION FOR THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE ON THE ISSUE.  The election was never about the museum or about the "kids."  Why else would the A&P encumber $50 million to $60 million for a project costing less than $1 million?  Why else would the A&P exaggerate the need, the cost, and the urgency?  Why else would the A&P not use some of the $3 million plus they already had on hand for this minor project?  The good 'ol boys should be careful because the apparent schemes are beginning to become unraveled and much more obvious.  Even you 'objective' folks at the newspaper may want to reconsider who you are getting in bed with.  Yep, that includes the highly paid A&P executives who you allow to demonstrate their professionalism by using words like "crap" in your news articles.

Politicians and Leaders Deceiving Public?                                                                          August 6, 2008

Have you heard the slick radio commercials or have you ladies gotten a copy of the really slick postcards asking, "Do you want a safer Garland County?"  Most of us already know that our city and county leaders are in favor of the so-called, "public safety" tax because they are the ones who will spend the millions generated from the new tax.

Now sit yourself down and get a grip before you read further.  Okay, we hope you are ready for this.  The group behind the current media and mail advertising are the same people who will benefit from the tax.  All of the membership are current or former elected officials or they are currently on the payroll of the city or county.  "Not possible," you say?  Check with the Arkansas Ethics Commission and you will find the following information:

Name of Ballot Question Committee:  Committee for a Safer Garland County

Committee Officers and Directors: 

Co-chairman - Michael Wright (president of Lodge #26, Garland County Sheriff's Department)

Co-chairman - Joseph T. Williams (president of Lodge #1, Hot Springs Fraternal Order of Police)

Treasurer - Paul Bosson (former Garland County prosecuting attorney, now a member of Civil Service Comm.)

Secretary - Larry Williams (current Garland County Judge)

Member - Larry Sanders (Garland County Sheriff)

Member - Ray Owen (JP, member of Garland County Quorum Court, chair of county finance committee)

Member - Bobby Southard (Police Chief, City of Hot Springs)

Member - Jason Lawrence (Courts Director paid by city of Hot Springs and Garland County)

Click here to see the Arkansas Ethics Commission Forms with the above data

The primary question you likely have is WHY?  Why would public officials and employees disguise themselves by using a committee name instead of using their own names?  Have you ever heard the term, "follow the money?"  The county's existing half-cent sales tax produced $7.561 million for 2007.  At current rates of increases provided by the state, this amount will equate to over $302 million over the 20 year jail bond term.  This means that even if you add the $34 million jail to all of the other proposed purchases (communications equipment, resource officers, fire-stations, etc.) there is still approximately $250 million left that is unallocated, sometimes known as "PORK."  What could be worse that we aren't being told?  The extra pork they are asking for now becomes 100 percent "PORK" at the end of 20 years because the tax never ends.  You also are not being told that both the city board and county quorum court refused to allow an amendment which would prevent the city and county from reducing their existing contributions to "public safety" expenses.  This effectively allows them to free up the millions currently being spent for "public safety" to use as they see fit.  The city directors can already taste that new city hall.  County leaders have already announced that they will use some of it for "raises for everyone." 

How To Tell When Your Politicians and Leaders are "Out of Control"                                 July 24, 2008

Have you ever thought your city or county leaders had totally lost control and forgotten why they were elected or hired? We have noticed some disturbing trends that seem to be worsening rather than getting better and decided it was time to list some of the tell-tale signs to watch for. Most citizens of our area will likely already recognize many of the following indicators.

You know, logic would tell us that all of these things surely could not have happened. Perhaps it was just a really bad dream. Boy, it sure did seem realistic there for awhile though, didn’t it?

City Board Members Exceed Authority Yet Again                                                                      July 17, 2008

Today, one of your editors again witnessed a horrible injustice which again involved our city board members.  The owners of the Toy Store downtown were inundated by the Central Avenue flood and went through a difficult and expensive struggle just to get back in business.  They spent thousands of dollars in their effort including over $6,000 for a new awning which was ripped by wind during the storm.  It appears that the Hot Springs Historical Commission had told the owners that the awning did not meet the commission's current criteria but two city directors told the owners not to worry because this would be overturned on appeal.  Mr. Tom Daniel admitted at the meeting to being one of the city directors who told this to the toy store owners.  Apparently, the other director was Mr. Carroll Weatherford since he was the only other city director at the meeting and both directors sat in front of the audience.  Once it was pointed out that the Historical Commission could not reverse itself without unanimous consent of the commission (which failed by voice vote), Mr. Daniel proceeded to express his disappointment with the commission.  Following his rather loud berating of the commissioners, the commission chairman pointed out that if he (Mr. Daniels) had not given incorrect information to the toy store owner, there would likely be no violations and there would be no meeting today or need to consider rehearing the application for the non-compliant awning. Dozens of downtown merchants were in attendance to show their support for the toy store owners.  Unfortunately, the commission could not re-hear the case without a unanimous vote of the commission and one of the members refused to vote to allow this.

This is yet another example of city directors improperly misusing or abusing their authority.  Most citizens know of numerous cases where our current directors have overruled the city staff, planning commission, and others who abide by the rules or applicable laws.  There is simply no justification for directors to tell people to ignore city ordinances, laws, or findings of our various commissions.  Apparently, these two directors thought that they would have no problem in, once again, overruling a commission.  The directors apparently did not know that the appeal process for overriding this particular commission is through the courts.  It is unfortunate that their lack of knowledge did not keep them from giving incorrect and improper advice.  Hopefully, the owner of the store who relied on the director's advice as being accurate will file suit to recover the cost of their, now useless, $6,000 awning plus thousands more in legal expenses.

Based on numerous disastrous experiences perpetrated by city directors including the one witnessed today, we would strongly advise all businesses in our city to not trust any advice given by our current directors.  We also recommend that they help remove these directors from office so they don't continue such harmful and expensive practices.

First-Hand Commentary on June Bond Election                                                                      April 8, 2008

As some of our readers have already noted, last night's city board meeting proved to be yet another meeting where the primary issues were already decided.  It is most unfortunate when important agenda items have already been decided based on inaccurate or misleading information.  For this reason, several individuals subjected themselves to the anticipated rudeness, name-calling, and put-downs from our city leaders and the "good-old-boy" spokesmen who are always allowed to speak last without rebuttal whether or not they signed up to do so as regular citizens are required to do.  The city board voted unanimously to have a special election on June 10th to approve allowing a $1.2 million bond issue for life-safety (fire alarm), heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) improvements.

The problem is that nowhere near that amount is needed for those specific improvements.  We attended the most recent A&P Commission meetings, a Mid America Science Museum board meeting, city workshops, and city agenda meetings to see if we could find out why the costs were so inflated.  No itemized list of the costs were ever provided at any meeting and, with one minor exception, we were not allowed to speak.  At the joint meeting of the A&P and museum boards, the president of an engineering firm hired by the A&P stated that the proposed funds included replacing inefficient T-12 type lamps with efficient T-8 lamps even though this work was done a couple of years ago.  The A&P director and the local newspaper continue to address non-existent safety issues.  The HVAC equipment was purported to all be 30 years old and the justification for so hastily making such inflated expenditures appeared to be based only on flippant statements such as, "it could fail at any time" and "interest rates could go up."

Since there was so much  missing information and misinformation prevalent, we decided to perform our own investigation.  This consisted of examining the actual HVAC equipment and copying the nameplate data, capacities, etc. plus analyzing the condition of each piece of HVAC related equipment.  During the field investigation, we discovered that the air conditioning chillers, cooling tower, and VFD equipment are only 8 years old and are working perfectly.  We then interviewed the museum maintenance staff, several HVAC experts, HVAC equipment manufacturers, and HVAC sales personnel.  In view of the fact that no itemized expenditure list existed, we developed our own.  This list (click here to view) indicates that if the museum replaced everything they could wish for, only $165,500 would be needed.  The list was provided as a handout to the city board prior to their vote.  We also pointed out that we had representatives of HVAC equipment manufacturers and financing experts in the audience who could answer any questions relative to  equipment needs and costs.   It was ironic to have the museum operating board chairman state, "I'm an architect .... it must have been several years since you have checked prices on such equipment."  The fact is that it had only been a matter of minutes since HVAC manufacturer's representatives had provided us with the price of an entire state-of-the-art HVAC system for a new facility much larger than the museum.  The cost for the total system was less than half the cost figures being used for only partial replacements at the museum.

We fully expected the information provided to the city board to be ignored and were not surprised by their unanimous vote to allow the A&P their requested election.  No board member can now say, "I wish you would have told us."  Our conscience is clear because we presented the facts and even challenged the board to not take our word for it but simply postpone their votes until they could find out the facts for themselves.  We've been here before, having this same board ignore logical requests.  We'll likely be here again for so long as we continue to be represented by these elected officials.

Who or What is CodeRed?                                                                                                          April 1, 2008

Thanks to one of our readers for the following information as to Who or What is CodeRed, the group with which the City of Hot Springs is apparently determined to contract with to provide an early warning system and other call-up notifications.  As always, we simply post the information so the public can do their own research and determine whether or not this is a company the city should consider doing business with.

http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0523025/0523025.shtm

FTC Seeks End to Telemarketer’s Practices
Automated Calling System Leaves Millions Of People Hanging
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/01/broadcastteam.shtm

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, for the Federal Trade Commission,
Plaintiff
v.
THE BROADCAST TEAM, INC., ROBERT J. TUTTLE and MARK S. EDWARDS, Defendants
(United States District Court Middle District of Florida Orlando Division) Case 6:05-cv-01920-PCF-JGG; FTC File No. 052-3025

Florida Dept of State records
http://www.sunbiz.org/corinam.html

THE BROADCAST TEAM
Officer/Director Detail
Name & Address

EDWARDS, MARK
2 BLACKHOUSE CT

ORMOND BEACH FL 32174

TUTTLE, ROBERT J
425 PINE BLUFF TRAIL
ORMOND BEACH FL 32174

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK, INC.

Registered Agent Name & Address
SKOW, JAMES
9 SUNSHINE BLVD
ORMOND BEACH FL 32174 US

Title D
TUTTLE, ROBERT J
9 SUNSHINE BLVD
ORMOND BEACH FL 32174

Title D
EDWARDS, MARK
9 SUNSHINE BLVD
ORMOND BEACH FL 32174

Title P
POE, ROBERT
9 SUNSHINE BLVD
ORMOND BEACH FL 32174

Title VP
DIGIACOMO, DAVID
9 SUNSHINE BLVD
ORMOND BEACH FL 32174

Emergency Communications Network Expands Staff
http://opensourcepbx.tmcnet.com/news/2004/may/1039347.htm

ORMOND BEACH, Fla., May 6 2004 /PR Newswire/ -- Emergency Communications Network (ECN), operator of the CodeRED emergency notification network, today announced promotions for key staff and the hiring of an experienced Florida city manager who will assist with outreach and sales.
Among the changes:

* David DiGiacomo has been promoted to Vice President of Operations from Executive Director of ECN. In this new position, DiGiacomo will oversee the customer relations management team and assist in setting the organizational vision, strategy and overall business planning. DiGiacomo has been with ECN since the company was formed.

* Michael Staley has been promoted to Director, Strategic Alliance Programs from Business Alliance Manager. In addition to his work developing alliances with complementary solutions and working with their management and customers, Staley has been tasked with developing additional and third party sales channels for CodeRED. Staley joined ECN last year.

* Howard Tipton will consult with ECN on outreach and sales to state and local government officials and key staff, such as city managers and fire and police chiefs. Tipton has served as city manager in Orlando and Daytona Beach, Florida and is active in the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

"We're now positioned for major growth in the short-term," said Bob Poe, president of Emergency Communications Network. "There's no other notification system out there that works as effectively as CodeRED. CodeRED has proven itself, and we're reaching out to municipalities and private companies to assist with their emergency preparedness."

CodeRED is a patented, real-time Internet-based message delivery system that can make over 60,000 recorded phone calls per hour into a geographic area based on the specifics of the situation. CodeRED was designed to provide immediate access to timely information, including boil water alerts, weather emergencies, local criminal activity, and homeland security issues. For instance:

* CodeRED was called into service in several mid-Atlantic states to alert residents before and after Hurricane Isabel struck last fall;

* Flagler County, Florida captured an armed and dangerous registered sex offender on the prowl in a suburban neighborhood after alerting residents using CodeRED; and

* Hernando County, Florida officials found an abducted 14-year old girl after she vanished from Bible study class using CodeRED, and Sheriff Richard Nugent credits CodeRED as working "faster than the Amber Alert."

ECN counts among its clients municipalities from around the country, as well as the national lost-child advocacy organization A Child Is Missing. "Our current clients are the best advocates for CodeRED," DiGiacomo said.

Contact: Stephen Gaskill, Emergency Communications Network, 954-764-6415, or cell, 202-257-9298.
Emergency Communications Network

CONTACT: Stephen Gaskill, Emergency Communications Network,+1-954-764-6415, or cell, +1-202-257-9298


Web site: http://www.coderedweb.com/

Publication: PR Newswire
Publication Date: 06-MAR-03
Format: Online - approximately 476 words
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Author:

Article Excerpt
ORMOND BEACH, Fla. -- ORMOND BEACH, Fla., March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Bob Poe, former Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, has joined Emergency Communications Network (ECN) of Ormond Beach, Florida as president, the company officially announced today.

"I'm excited at the opportunity to build ECN and establish the company as the leader in emergency notification systems," Poe said. "The ability to contact people quickly with critical public safety information is a necessity in...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.

Other Related "Enterprises"

http://www.sunbiz.org

Registered Agent Name Entity Name Entity Number
TUTTLE, ROBERT J BRADENTON TEAMSTERS BUILDING CORPORATION, INC. 714002
TUTTLE, ROBERT J PRIME PROPERTIES AND DEVELOPMENT OF VOLUSIA COUNTY, LLC L03000030504
TUTTLE, ROBERT J E-RADIO COMMUNICATIONS, INC. P00000084302
TUTTLE, ROBERT J TWILIGHT GROOVES, INC. P00000090078

Registered Agent Name Entity Name Entity Number Name translated
SKOW, JAMES GATO PROPERTIES OF VOLUSIA, LLC L02000003668 - CAT
SKOW, JAMES MONO PROPERTIES, LLC L03000024231 - MONKEY
SKOW, JAMES PUERCO PROPERTIES, LLC L03000028906 - PIG SKOW, JAMES PERRO PROPERTIES, LLC L03000028907 - DOG
SKOW, JAMES JTMX LLC L04000046478
SKOW, JAMES PREMIER PROPERTIES OF VOLUSIA, LLC L05000012958
SKOW, JAMES REUNION PROPERTIES, LLC L05000047786
SKOW, JAMES THE BROADCAST TEAM LOUISVILLE, LLC L05000059343
SKOW, JAMES HECTOR, LLC L05000064536
SKOW, JAMES MARKET ABILITY, LLC L07000045709
SKOW, JAMES WEBER FINANCIAL LLC L07000049026
SKOW, JAMES VOLO LLC L07000118861
SKOW, JAMES EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK WEST, LLC M07000007167
SKOW, JAMES FLORIDA CONTINUING EDUCATION SERVICES, INC. P04000126011
SKOW, JAMES CALL TO SANTA, INC. P05000075554
SKOW, JAMES EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK, INC. P99000055670
SKOW, JAMES TELEPHONY RESOURCES, INC. P99000058533
SKOW, JAMES THE BROADCAST TEAM, INC. V45009
SKOW, JAMES MARKET ABILITY, INC. V45010

What Do You Do About a Cancer in Your Town?                                                                                           February 9, 2008

Have you ever lived in a city where the elected officials refused to allow the public to speak at public meetings - a town comprised of leaders who freely admit that they once allowed "public comment sections" at public meetings but stopped that practice because a citizen used the forum to criticize and "embarrass" an elected official?

Have you ever lived in a city where the elected officials totally ignored the wishes of hundreds of citizens and placed a two-lane "bottleneck" in the only north-south highway through town so their friends could have parking in front of their businesses? How about adding a crowning touch to this fiasco by not bothering to even contact the police, sheriff, fire, or EMS as to whether this action might constitute a safety hazard. Oh, also ignore any attempts by the state highway department to "dissuade" the city from taking such detrimental action.

Have you ever lived in a city where the elected officials refused to allow the public a voice or a vote before putting the citizens in debt for 25 years and $14 million for a project the people didn’t want? How about directors who simply vote to change the word "tax" to "fee" on numerous documents so they could legally avoid allowing the people a voice or a vote? Add these actions to the fact that the city is already taxed more per resident than any other city over 30,000 in population in the entire state.

Have you ever lived in a city where the elected officials regularly overrode the advice of their own staff, planning commission, etc. so that their friends could place unsightly businesses in residential neighborhoods? Oh, except for the city manager who tells the directors what to do instead of the normally reversed roles.

Have you ever lived in a city that was ranked by the FBI and state statistics in the top ten "highest crime cities" in the country yet the city leaders dismiss these facts by saying something must be wrong with the figures rather than properly fund and staff programs to combat the problem?

Have you ever lived in a city where the elected officials overrode the strong recommendations of their staff, planning department, building inspectors, code compliance experts, fire marshal, etc. because a developer would give them $50,000 to backdate a certificate which allowed the developer to obtain federal funds, tax credits, etc? Does that not smell like federal fraud to anyone?

Well, if you ever find yourself living in such a town, what would you do about it? Would you complain?  Remember, the public is not allowed to comment at public meetings except within very narrow guidelines.  If you are lucky enough to qualify to speak, you are limited to 3 minutes regardless of how important your issues are and there is a strong possibility that you will be berated, yelled at, contradicted, embarrassed, or even thrown out of the public meeting.

How about this idea? Form a group where you invite knowledgeable experts to inform the public as to what is really happening in the town. How about also providing an "open mike" session at every meeting so the public can speak? How about doing investigations from public records and providing surveys to determine what the public would like their elected representatives to do if they ever decide to represent the people instead of only themselves or their friends? How about providing a website like www.GGGGNews.com so people can know what is being done?

If you see any similarities in these scenarios and the city of Hot Springs, congratulations. You are informed and intelligent enough to recognize the problems that comprise the cancer growing within our fine city. You also likely know that the Garland Good Government Group (GGGG) was formed to help provide our citizens a voice and a vote on important issues.

The GGGG has observed the growing cancers within our city for almost a year and have been somewhat successful in informing the public and restoring the people’s voice and "right to vote." Unfortunately, too many issues have gone unresolved but not for lack of trying. At a recent meeting, one GGGG member posed a very astute question, "Why do we keep putting out brush fires when we know who is setting the fires?" That profound question was the beginning of much soul searching, more investigations, a public survey (available at www.GGGGNews.com), and an eventual decision to solve the problem at its source, the city board.

As you likely know, the GGGG took the very bold step of beginning a recall of the mayor and a director. These two were selected because they were the top two recommended by the public survey. The rational was to not recall board members who must stand for reelection in November simply because their terms will soon end. This does not necessarily mean that we will not add other board members to the recall effort in the future.

With minor exception, our decision has met with overwhelming and surprising support. We obtained approximately half the needed signatures for the director on our recall petition with only a handful of volunteers working a few hours on Super Tuesday. We must admit that it is quite discouraging to see people who either do not understand, care, or want to get involved in helping to correct our problems. However, the latter can be somewhat understood because we have witnessed city directors using city departments to carry out intimidating tactics aimed at those few who dare to complain or question them. What is most discouraging is to have the hard work and dedication of our members be rewarded by our own local newspaper criticizing and working against our efforts while local radio stations refuse to rent us a booth at the home show or allow us to fund a program on their station.

We are not the ones who caused the cancer within our city. We are the ones who are now finally saying, "let us rid ourselves of this problem and restore the life and vitality to our fine city. What do you do about a cancer in your town? You remove it.

More Spins Than a Coney Island Carrousel (commentary by Ted Burhenn)                                               February 4, 2008

In regard to the February 1, 2008 press release about the recall of Director Weatherford and Mayor Mike Bush, it is amazing to read the spin that City Director Kent Myers and Director Weatherford placed on the issue.  They want the public to believe that this is only about the Baptist Hotel and only because of its Black Heritage.  Sorry guys, that dog won’t hunt.

The Baptist Hotel was chosen as a backdrop for the icon as a sample of how far out of control our city government has gotten.  The owner of the Baptist Hotel needed a certificate of occupancy dated December 31, 2006 but had not and still has not met the required repairs to obtain that certificate legitimately. Without that certificate, he stood to lose millions in Federal Tax Credits/Grants.  Against the advice of the city’s own code department and fire department, the board of directors not only gave him a certificate, but backdated it to allow him to cash in from the government (click here to view the documents). If you or I did that, it would be called conspiracy to commit federal fraud.  The difference between the Baptist and the other historic buildings is that the owners of the other buildings didn’t know who to make the check out to or maybe how much.

 The only work on the Baptist since that time is the fire escape on the back of the building for all the people who don’t live there.  It does however offer the children a place to play and the homeless a way into the building.  Even the security fence in front of the building is now a hazard.  There were options; other investors have been interested in the building and it could have been restored by now.  So Mr. Weatherford, it would not have been torn down.  Of course what do I know, I don’t have a State General Contractor’s License nor have I been cited numerous times for operating without one.  Maybe that is something that you learned in Japan.

Now for the Rest of the Story.  A recent survey conducted by the Garland Good Government Group showed that the vast majority of the citizens responding to a poll placed the removal of several Directors as one of the most important items to improve the Community.  It an attempt to act as a conduit for these citizens, GGGG voted to take on the task.  Although any issue requires a positive vote of 75% of the voting members present, it was unanimous that we start with Mayor Mike Bush and Director Carroll Weatherford as it was felt that we can’t wait for the next election.

The reasoning for the recall varies, from possible conspiracy to commit federal fraud, multiple personal bankruptcies by directors, arrogance to the public during meetings, catering to special interest groups in things like the bottleneck & Hi-Lo Terrace, awarding contracts to directors without competitive bidding, multiple trips for directors and staff to Japan, increased taxes (or fees if that makes Myers feel better) and a  lack of personal financial responsibly to a run-a-way budget of  over $2,600 per person ( at least 2.5 times greater than Little Rock. 

Strange how Mr. Myers, in excerpts of his State of the City report, took credit for Highway 70 West, Carpenter Dam Road, rejuvenation of Bath House Row and the repair of “malfunction junction”.  Careful, if you pat yourself on the back too much you can spin yourself into a pretzel. Perhaps we should take the time to thank the little people like the Highway Department and Commission, County Judge Larry Williams, National Park Director Jose Fernandez, the investors at Magic Springs and the directors of the health care facilities.    Sorry if I missed some but it is the countless many that should be credited with the successes.  It is the very few that should bear the responsibility of the disasters.