What is the Midland Town Council trying to hide? It seems like they want a closed session for most any decision the town makes. Want to build a residential subdivision? “Let’s have a closed session.” Want to set garbage rates? “Why not have a closed session?” We need to consider financing models for water and sewer acquisition? “Got to have a closed session!” Someone needs a bathroom break? “Definitely a closed session!”
In subsection 143-318.10, the North Carolina statutes state, “Except as provided…each official meeting of a public body shall be open to the public, and any person is entitled to attend such a meeting.” The laws do allow for closed meetings, meetings where the public is excluded, “…only when a closed session is required:…” to conduct the people’s business (§ 143-318.11(a)). The statutes give specific circumstances where closes sessions may be held, but they can be held only when necessary to achieve the listed tasks. In other words, if the same thing can be done in open session without causing an advantage to the competition, for example, then it must be held in open session. So you see, Midland, you can’t hold a closed session just because you think the people might not like what you are doing. You can’t have a private meeting just because you think you might be doing something down the road, such as setting water rates for a large consumer. The conditions must be real and they must necessarily be confidential. You can’t hide behind closed doors because you think the people might not understand.
The laws also state, “…every public body shall keep full and accurate minutes…” of their meetings, both closed and open (§ 143-318.10(e)). Even in a closed session, the minutes must have enough detail so that “…a person not in attendance would have a reasonable understanding of what transpired.” The Midland Town Council minutes do not meet this standard.
The best recent example of this was the joint session about Bethel School between Midland and the County Commissioners in February. Midland held a brief meeting before the joint meeting where they talked about water and sewer matters. In the draft minutes, the key description of the discussions in the pre-meeting consists of two lines: “Council discussed flow measures and testing” and “Council discussed securing privacy of customer information.” This is typical of all their meeting descriptions and doesn’t even come close to meeting the legal standard. It’s like saying the Council discussed football without mentioning names of the teams, the scores, key plays and players, and whether there was any overtime. In the same minutes, however, the description of the joint session is quite comprehensive. It’s not as if the Town Clerk doesn’t know how to take good minutes, she obviously does. The Midland Council approves all of their council meeting minutes. The real deal is that she told to keep the meeting record as vague as possible! Check the record and see for yourself.
To the Midland Council: You seem to have forgotten that you work for and are elected by the people—we have a right to know what you are doing. You are responsible to the people and should keep your actions open to the public just as much as possible. You can’t hold a closed session because you are afraid people might object to what you are doing. If you don’t want us to know what you are doing because you think we might not like it, then don’t do it. Don’t hide; stand up and show courage in your actions. Don’t hide what you are doing behind closed sessions. Do the right thing as required by law and let us see what you are really doing.
Dan Short
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31 responses so far ↓
1 Aaron // Apr 9, 2008 at 6:39 am
Amen to that!
But hey, if you can keep your constituency in the dark, they’ll keep voting for you!
It’s worked for the Democrats for years now!!!
2 Steve Smith // Apr 9, 2008 at 4:29 pm
They must be treating the Citizens of Midland like Mushrooms. Feed ‘em B*** S*** and keep ‘em in the dark….
3 Ruth Winn // Apr 9, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Thought I would report that Midland Councilman Don Fleener noted for public information at the April Council meeting that the Town of Midland spent more than $16,000 for professional fees during the month of March, 2008, all for investigating the possibility of purchasing water and sewer lines from Concord. Although no decision has been made on the purchase of water and sewer lines, the Town of Midland has spent approximately $100,000 from general revenue funds (taxpayer dollars) so far to investigate the possibilities. Where will this end? Is there no limit on expenditures for this project?
4 Dan Short // Apr 10, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Great question, Ruth. It appears that the Midland Council is going to follow through on last year’s letter of intent to purchase the water and sewer lines from Concord. Council never looked at the advisability of doing this, they just committed and started moving ahead. Unfortunately, the assumptions used in their financial model seem to be wishes rather than fact based. Their O&M cost, for example, appears to be woefully low, at least based on the Stanfield’s reported utility budget. I understand a corrected financial model will soon be available; I’ll have more commentary when it comes out. A word of caution–my experience with models is that they can be made to say whatever one wants them to say. A model is only as good as its assumptions, so it is important to examine what they are. Meanwhile, Midland is moving ahead with finding a subcontract company to maintain and operate the water and sewer system. They also voted to obtain additional office space at the beginning of the 2008-2009 budget year, presumably to house the 1.5 people the town will have to hire for water and sewer oversight (at an estimated cost of $80,000 per year).
5 Larry M.Burrage // Apr 21, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Larry Burrage
To all of The above comments,great job on policing your vested interest and future lack of representation by elected officials.
Continue to expose their lack of open meetings and the violations incurred so far.
Most of us would not be aware of this if it were not for this open opportunity to exchange information about issues that will affect each of us.
Stay with it and help stop the runaway and out of control local officials.
Larry M. Burrage
6 Justin Thibault // Apr 22, 2008 at 8:12 am
Larry - It’ s been my experience that even the flattest pancake has two sides.
That being said, it’s kinda strange that we haven’t heard from anyone currently serving on the Council.
7 Larry M. Burrage // Apr 22, 2008 at 11:00 am
Larry M Burrage
Justin ,I could not agree with you more. Where are they and why are there not any public awareness about these discrepencies?
Everybody please step forward and ask questions of your elected officials.The Only Dumb
Questions are the ones never asked?
Justin,I really like the analogy about the Flat pancake,Of course I am sure someone could discover a way to alter the flatness if it was beneficial to their cause.
I really am fortunate to have been invited into your area of knowledge and personal involvement in our community.You Really should consider a pre- candidate course on line or otherwise for the sake of your future and all of our children ,grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.
Their future is on our shoulders,and our DEBT IS ON THEIRS.
Larry M. Burrage
8 Ruth Winn // Apr 22, 2008 at 11:30 am
I don’t believe it is by accident that we have not heard anything from our Midland officials on the issue of open meetings and public dialogue. With the exception of Councilman Don Fleener, I believe the other council members and mayor have determined that they will not speak openly about these issues; otherwise, they may be held accountable for their comments. I believe the citizens of Midland will eventually voice their dissatisfaction at the polls.
In the meantime, I hope there will be a growing number of Midland residents who participate in Midland town business and educate themselves on the important issues facing our town, including water and sewer, town income and expenditures, tax rates, and planned growth. I believe many citizens could learn more about our town if they are made aware that Councilman Don Fleener is holding monthly town hall type meetings, which are open to all Midland residents, at Cabarrus Station Grill. Call Don Fleener at 704-400-4119 for more detailed information or visit his web site at http://www.donfleener.com. We need to have this kind of dialogue with our elected representatives, and Don needs our support, encouragement, and participation.
9 Justin Thibault // Apr 22, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Ruth - Why haven’t we seen Don here? I did give him an account on this blog as an elected official.
10 MarkMartin // Apr 22, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Perhaps they have been meeting in closed session to discuss the comments in this post.
11 Steve Smith // Apr 22, 2008 at 4:35 pm
He may not wish to submit his remarks to the sharp scrutiny of this blog. I notice that he is not the only elected official or candidate for office that steers clear of the Cheap Seats. Carruth and Burrage are the only ones, so far, with the “guts” to speak up in here. But beware, speaking up in here is like a mixed martial arts fight, someone might get a bloody nose!!!!!
12 Ruth Winn // Apr 22, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Justin,
I’m not sure why you haven’t seen any comments from Don Fleener on this blog; I haven’t asked him. Maybe you should ask him if you would really like to hear from him on this blog.
It’s not Don that bothers me since he attempts to communicate openly with Midland residents. He has chosen to do that by other avenues rather than this blog. Maybe you should address your same question to John Crump, Kathy Kitts, Mike Tallent, and Allen Burnett as well. I believe that Don Fleener has opposed every closed session that the Town of Midland has had since he became a member of the Council, but he has voted alone; all the others elected officials have voted to have closed sessions. What does that say to you?
13 Larry M. Burrage // Apr 22, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Author Larry M. Burrage
Steve,Now You Have My attention.My Grandson Is 32 years old started at age 9 in Martial Arts .He Is Now a5th Don Black Belt.The Rigors of TRaining Sparring and competing are a partial benefit of the Battle.Without a Battle ther is no victory no one wins?
You Know The Slogan,INQUISITIVE MINDS WANT TO KNOW!
Well I am indeed proud to be a small part of the initiation into this battle of politicians representing themselves and not the People. Whether I Win Or Lose I have Gained Extremely important Knowledge and a renewed vigor to fight in this battle.
Anyone not willing to put their gloves on and defend what they Stand For Will Fall For Anything.
Keep Up THe good Work ,and may all of us get the representation we so desperately need and deserve.
14 Justin Thibault // Apr 22, 2008 at 9:07 pm
All - This isn’t the Shaolin Temple of local politics.
The point isn’t to give candidates and officials a hard time - it’s to get past the usual candidate kitsch and get to the truth. Some - like Bob Carruth, are willing to give it up front - others require a little cajoling, and most decide to stick to handing out nail files and convincing you that they are a good guy who loves Jesus and they’ll tell you about their plans…after they get your vote.
Don Fleener, the rest of the Town Council, and all of the elected officials and candidates in the County (save the courts crowd [Judges, DA, Clerk of Court] due to an oversight) have received several e-mails about this blog and what’s new - including this article. I didn’t just tell them that the blog was open; but I set accounts up for them.
If Don feels that the best way to get to his constituents is to hold meetings on his own - more power to him. I just find it rather curious that nobody has responded to this message. Is it because the article really is true? Or, is Dan Short the Second Coming of Harold Smith? Or, do people just flat not care?
Who knows? I’m not going to jump to any conclusion about anyone - it’s just interesting, that’s all.
15 Larry M. Burrage // Apr 23, 2008 at 8:01 am
Author Larry Burrage
Justin,I respect your right to express yourself in the manner as stated.I do not agree with the wording and the disrespectful remark about anyones’ relationship or faith in Jesus Christ.Of Course That is Part Of Your Kitsch to appeal to the lack of experience and years in office to further ones’ career in politics.
A persons’Faith Or lack there of in Jesus does not deserve t o be brought into this cesspool of words and political Jargon.
As Bob Carruth has Stated in earlier comments we do not agree about the counties’future or the indebtedness accumulating without a sign of relief.Bob Should Have a Plan after 8 years of internal acquisition of all previous and future projects on the table for him to refer to.
Justin As I have Stated before,Knowledge is Power and if used improperly can be very destructive.As The Politicians fall Due To Their False Sense of Being all Powerful and above the Law,let us continue to seek out the real people that are not CAJOLING their way in with Jesus Nail files or even genuine sincereity.
Continue to Challenge all others and Again I Reiterate I have never once sought a vote from anyone on this blog.I Urge You to Vote for Bob and and anyone else ,It is definitely open season.
Larry M. Burrage
16 Justin Thibault // Apr 23, 2008 at 8:21 am
Larry -
I wasn’t referring to you. Actually, I had another race in mind when I made that comment.
I’m sorry if I offended you or anyone else for that matter.
17 Don Fleener // Apr 25, 2008 at 11:01 am
Hi all, I am sorry I have not responded to date. I think it is good that the public has a was to express themsalf. I want to hear form ALL Midlanders. Not just the one’s that may agree with me. I feel strongly that we in goverment are employed by the people to do the work required. I do not claim to know what is the correct actions to take on different issues, I can only consider my personal feelings, and ask other I know. I wanted to say I strongly beleive in open Goverment. I feel that the people who pay taxes and live in Midland should always know what we are doing, planning and the process of comming to decisions we make. I have voted against every closed session that has been called. I do not beleive that thay are needed. The law state “only when required” I have not seen any to date that meet that requirement. I would like to invite any and all to come and discuss maters inportant to Midland. I have just started a public meeting called “MEET WITH COUNCILMEMBER DON FLEENER” The date, place and time are as follows. The Friday before the Midland Town Council meeting.(2nd tuesday of the month) at the Cabarrus Station Grill (take 24/27 south on Bethel church Rd.) just before the train track on the left. The time is 7 pm. I will have no agenda . Its up to you.
18 Steve Smith // Apr 25, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Don
Thank you. At least one Midland Official with the guts open up the meetings.
19 Kelly Eads // May 1, 2008 at 7:58 pm
I would like to first comment on the message left by Don Fleener. I have had personal associations with him in the past. I have nothing but the highest reguard for the work in which he accomplishes, and the business which he is affiliated. I do, however, have some concerns with his lack of knowledge of the English language. I do not profess to have a degree in this area. I do have a problem with his grammar and puncutation. Second, what type of training or education have you received to allow you to hold your position? I have asked the question and received the answer. Third, If all the negative energy put forth in this blog were associated with the differrent committies and positive growth of the town, LOOK at what everyone could do for our community.
I have another point I would like all to consider. Our first mayor was NEVER an elected official, DID NOT finish the term in office, and currently does not hold a position on any of the committies offered to the town.
Lastly, I would like to say that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success. The person will almost always be in collision with something or somebody, even if the motive is for the good.
Let the community come together, that is how it works. Not to work against one another.
This town can only be defeated by an attitude of intolerance and contempt prior to investigation.
20 Cabarrus Cheap Seats // May 2, 2008 at 7:12 am
Can Someone Explain Midland to Us?…
A couple of weeks back, there was a post from Dan Short that claimed that the Town Council was meeting in secret too often. Then the string of comments required a bit of history that I didn’t have handy.
Since Midland is the next frontier of gr…
21 Ruth Winn // May 2, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I am writing in response to Kelly Eads post. First, Kelly, I would suggest that you first concern yourself with your own spelling and grammar before you criticize anyone else. In my first reading of your post, I noticed two glaring errors. What a shame!
Second, I would ask Kelly how many times you have volunteered your services to the Town of Midland? How much do you know about contempt and intolerance prior to investigation regarding the business of the Town of Midland? How often do you attend Midland town meetings? Are you currently a resident of the Town of Midland?
Third, Kelly, how much do you know about the qualifications and training that are required for a concerned citizen to hold public office in Midland? I would venture to say you know very little. You revealed your ignorance by just asking the question about Don Fleener’s qualifications and training in your post!!!
Fourth, Kelly, you also revealed that you know very little about the Town of Midland’s first mayor, Dan Short. Dan was appointed as our first mayor because he was qualified, knowledgable, and interested in the business of our town. Dan had reasons for resigning as mayor, and I don’t think he would consider you worthy enough to merit receiving any explanations for his resignation. Obviously, you wrote your post without knowledge of facts which is again proof that your post was written by an uninformed, intolerant complainer!
Kelly, I ask you to address the issues about which this post originated (secret meetings in the town) if you want to respond. We are not here to question and complain about qualifications of our town leaders.
22 Steve Smith // May 2, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Ruth
Oh contrar, we are here to question and complain about everything including the qualifications of our town leaders, our county leaders, our state leader and and yes, even our countries leaders.
I have always assumed that no topic was off limits here in the cheap seats, let alone Midland NC and its politicians. I, like Justin, would like someone to explain whats going on down there…
23 Ruth Winn // May 2, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Steve,
You must have misunderstood me. I meant that we are not writing and complaining about the qualifications of Midland town leaders on this post. That topic should wait for another time. I thought the topic we are discussing here relates to Midland’s closed sessions, and not about anyone’s correct or incorrect grammar, spelling, and punctuation as written by Kelly Eads. That, too, could be a topic for another time.
24 Ruth Winn // May 2, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Don Fleener sent me a copy of his response to Kelly Eads, and I reviewed it and made several corrections. At Don’s request and with his approval, I am including his edited response to Kelly below:
Hi Kelly,
I want to respond to your comments. First, you are correct; I do sometimes have questions about the grammatical correctness of my writings. I am trying to improve; please be patient with me. Thank you.
When I ran for Midland Town Council, I did not claim to be a master of all skills, but I do try to work hard for the good of the town. I try to be fully informed on issues before I vote to do anything that will affect the residents of Midland. I am simply a citizen of Midland who wants to do what is best for the people who live here. Really, I think that is a requirement in order to hold office as a Midland Town Councilman. I also appreciate and solicit the support of the citizens of Midland.
Kelly, you indicated you had some personal associations with me. Please feel free to call me and remind me of when and where those associations occurred. I am a business man, and I come in contact with many people every day. I sometimes may forget a quick introduction in passing that happened a few years ago.
Are you currently a citizen of the town of Midland?
Kelly, I want to thank you for your comments. I do try to give consideration to every comment made to me whether it is positive or negative, and I try to respond appropriately. Don Fleener
25 Ken Land // May 13, 2008 at 9:46 pm
I only wish I had found this blog site sooner. The comments here are at minimum interesting, partly amusing, and actually some what informative. To try and bring things back to the original point - Dan’s letter way at the top - its a very true letter. Personally I feel our local officials are in over their heads and at the April Town Meeting it became very apparent. In fact this whole tax re-evaluation and how they handled it truly shows how disconnected they are to the area they manage. We have one leader that is willing to speak out, make positions known, and is out in the community - Fleener.
Midland is an area of tremendous potential. We sit at the intersection of two major arteries. Our proximity to Charlotte, 485, Concord, and Monroe give us so much to draw from. Our local economy could be booming, capitalizing off the daily work traffic to/from Charlotte. However - the ineptitude of both local and county officials has caused the development and progress to cross the county line and start in a little town known as Locust. We need leaders in this town that will quit hiding behind doors because they are afraid of what might be said. Nothing of action has come out of these closed door meetings and the bill keeps adding up as Fleener pointed out as we continue to “research” the sewer/water issue. We need leaders that will push through the issues that are holding back our area.
I strongly encourage everyone to attend Town Meetings whenever possible, take note of the Council’s actions, because as Dan put it - they are all elected and work for those that vote. It is time for some people to go.
26 Dan Short // May 14, 2008 at 10:31 am
In response to Kelly Eads post, let’s look at the facts first. I was actually
elected as Mayor of Midland twice. After being appointed to Council in the Town
Charter, my fellow Councilmembers elected me as Mayor. General elections occurred
about a year later and I was elected mayor by the voters with an 80% to 20% margin
over the competition.
As Mrs. Eads noted, I did not finish my second term as Mayor. The reasons were many,
as decisions of this type usually are, but the primary reason was quite simple and,
I think, understandable. I know that Mrs. Eads has business experience, so she will
understand how much work is involved when I say that starting a town is as
difficult as starting a new business. It is, in essence, exactly the same thing; a
town is a corporation that runs the people’s business (that’s why they call it
incorporating a town). I was and am self-employed. As Mrs. Eads also knows by
experience, there is a lot of work involved running a business by oneself. One must
wear the hat of CEO, technician, accountant, and janitor, just to name a few. Forty
hours a week was not enough time to do all that in my business. As Mayor, however, I
was spending 20 to 24 hours per week on town business. That was time lost from my
source of income. I paid all of my town expenses out of pocket. That includes office
supplies, long distance, and mileage to attend various in- and out-of-town
functions. I was getting no help from the other council members at all. They refused
to participate when I solicited volunteers to handle some of the things I was doing.
It finally became an economic necessity for me to resign as mayor—I was about to
lose my business. That was the primary reason I resigned, but there were other, more
personal reasons as well.
Mrs. Eads also took issue with Councilman Fleener’s grammar and asked what
qualifications are needed to be on Council. The only requirement to be on Council is
to be elected by the people or, in some cases, to be appointed as a replacement by
Council. Our current Council has a diesel mechanic, a telephone lineman, a
fireman/former mechanic, and an electrician. Clearly, formal education is not a
requirement. I can assure you from personal knowledge that some of their punctuation
and grammar is equal to Councilman Fleener’s. Councilman Fleener is the first to
admit that his punctuation and grammar are not impressive. Let’s be clear on one
thing, however, the lack of a formal education does not imply stupidity. I have the
highest respect for Don’s intelligence as well as his integrity. He was standing in
line with a commercial-sized wheelbarrow when the intelligence was handed out.
Finally, Mrs. Eads seems to imply that one must be an official member of a town
board or council in order to express an opinion. The fundamental idea of American
government is that it is responsible to the people it serves. Every citizen has a
right—no, an obligation—to stay informed and hold our various governmental bodies
accountable for their actions. Being a member of a town body has absolutely nothing
to do with it. Free speech and freedom to criticize government is a fundamental
right of every citizen. (Incidentally, to criticize is not necessarily to be
negative.) The secrecy and cronyism of our current council is deplorable. Consider,
for example, that Councilmember Kitts made a couple of comments at a recent joint
meeting with the Midland Utility Advisory Committee about being careful of how
things are put with regard to water and sewer costs so that the people won’t
“misunderstand”. Read that as obfuscate. The time to hold government accountable is
before they enact a bad bill, not after. Mrs. Eads should consider attending a few
council meetings so she has an idea of what is really going on with the Midland Town
Council. She might then see how much her hard-earned dollars are at risk from the
current Council’s actions.
Dan Short
27 Ruth Winn // May 14, 2008 at 11:21 am
Ken, I appreciated the comments in your post. I, too, believe Councilman Don Fleener is pointing out issues and asking questions that are helpful to the citizens of Midland.
At the May, 2008 Town Council meeting, there was no closed door session, but obviously, there had been private discussion between Councilwoman Kathy Kitts, Councilman Mike Talent, and Councilman Allen Burnette about spending Midland taxpayer funds to pay for lighting athetic fields for the Bethel Athletic Association. Mike Tallent was on the agenda to speak about athletic field lighting, but instead, he introduced Margaret Houston who spoke for the Bethel Athletic Association. (Kathy Kitts reported that Margaret Houston is NOT a resident of the town of Midland, and she does NOT pay taxes to the town of Midland.) Margaret is the local representative on the Cabarrus Parks and Recreation Committee. Margaret asked the town of Midland to contribute $10,000 toward lighting athletic fields for the Bethel Athletic Association.
Councilwoman Kathy Kitts is a board member for the Bethel Athletic Association and was excused from voting on this matter. However, Kathy stressed her support for this effort and encouraged others to support it. Councilman Burnette commented that the town of Midland has not given anything back to the community, and he made the motion for the town to contribute up to $10,000 for lighting the athletic fields. Councilman Tallent seconded the motion for a town contribution up to $10,000. Councilman Fleener spoke about his concern for spending taxpayer money on this effort when the Bethel Athletic Association had not first conducted significant fund-raising efforts on their own before approaching the town for funds, and he opposed the motion. Mayor Crump voted to support this motion after asserting that tournament games played on lighted fields will bring in substantial revenues for local businesses.
How easy it is for Midland officials to spend taxpayer funds! I do not object to having lighted athletic fields, but I do not want my Midland tax money paying for them. Cabarrus County Parks and Recreation has offered a matching grant to the Bethel Athletic Association for lighting athletic fields. Estimated total cost for lighting athetic fields is between $67,500 and $75,000. Where does the Parks and Recreation Department get operating and grant funds? Maybe from taxes and fees levied on citizens and users?
This is just an example of why Mayor Crump along with Council members Kitts, Burnette, and Tallent will not adequately address the Midland property re-evaluations as citizens and business owners have requested. They want more money in town funds to spend for their pet projects like lighted athletic fields.
I appreciate and commend Councilman Fleener for his courage to speak out about and vote against unnecessary spending! Let’s hold the entire Midland Town Council accountable as the 2009 budget is prepared and voted on soon. We should expect our Midland tax rate to be reduced to offset our re-evaluated properties. Please voice your opinions on this to all our elected officials.
28 Ken Land // May 14, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Just as an FYI to all - as the President of the Midland Business Association - I am looking to get the business community more involved in Midland. It is very obvious that as business leaders and citizens, we need to be much more pro-active. We are working on activities to help promote the organization as well as the individual businesses here in Midland. Through our activities and actions we hope to help improve the Midland Area for all.
I have emailed Kathy w/ regards to the BAA and ways the Business Community can assist. I had presented to the MBA in a prior meeting the Corporate Sponsorship Information, however; not knowing much about the BAA or what was involved the info did not come across very well. Kathy and/or Scott have been invited to attend our next meeting or any meeting to discuss. As a side note - this is an organization Fleener has been actively involved w/ from inception.
Dan you said it very well. I see running a town as no different than running a company. With that said - to successfully run a company one has to be very mindful of its assets & resources(human & material), treat its people w/ respect, communicate its objectives - goals - as well as accomplishments, while moving forward getting things done. I will let you all decide whether Midland fits this model or not.
I hope to see you all at the next Town Hall Meeting w/ Fleener and the next Town Meeting.
29 Justin Thibault // May 16, 2008 at 7:10 am
All - OK, I see where this is going.
Even though I live on the other end of the County - let’s clear a couple of things up.
Margaret Houston - Margaret is the Midland area representative on the Cabarrus County Parks and Recreation Board. I serve with her on that same board (I’m one of two County at-large reps). She’s been on the board for a year or so; but she does a great job. Which brings me to my second point…
Bethel Athletic Association - Matching grants are usually given to organizations for 50% of some project. In my opinion, it’s the best public money spent on Parks and Recreation; because it addresses a proven need. How is the need proven? Because private citizens have to come up with the money for the match. And to come up with the money, they would have had to have done some “significant fundraising”
John Crump & Mike Tallent - Again, I’ll have to fess up to a little bit of bias. John & Mike are solid members of the local GOP.
I’ve gotten the chance to know Mike pretty well. Mike and I have had a number of opportunities to talk as he is on the Men’s Club board (he and I are the two left from the board that was run by Coy). I can’t say that Mike and I always agree on matters of policy; but I would fight tooth and nail to have him on MY city council. He’s a solid advocate for his community (I can’t hardly say “Hello” to him without him asking “Where’s my park?”) and he understands the plight of the working man - because he is one. We need more Mike Tallents.
I gave folks the opportunity to shed a little light on the situation in Midland and I got no takers. I’d really like it if people would expound a little bit on the history and background rather than just jumping on folks they disagree with.
30 Ruth Winn // May 16, 2008 at 11:36 am
My comments are an effort to respond to Justin.
First, Justin, you didn’t clear up anything about Margaret Houston. You stated the same thing that I did about Margaret–she is the local representative on the County Parks and Recreation Board. I made no personal attack on Margaret. I don’t know Margaret Houston, and I did not comment on her good or bad work on the County Parks and Recreation Committee. I simply stated facts: Margaret is not a resident of the town of Midland, and she, therefore, does NOT pay taxes to Midland. Speaking for the Bethel Athletic Association, she asked the town of Midland to donate $10,000 for lighting of athletic fields. Those are true facts, not “jumping on” someone with whom I disagree.
Justin, again, in your comments, you did not clear up anything about the Bethel Athletic Association. You failed to mention that the Bethel Athletic Association is a private organization that offers children opportunities to play sports in a “pay to play” set-up. Certainly, the Bethel Athletic Association (BAA ) can apply for matching grants from the County Parks and Recreation Department just like any other county athletic group. The money for these grants comes from taxpayer money. At the May Midland Town Council meeting, Margaret Houston asked for $10,000 from Midland taxpayers that will be in addition to any matching grant money the BAA is able to obtain from the County Parks and Recreation Department. In other words, the taxpayers of Midland are spending money TWICE in this arrangement—once through taxes paid to the County and once through taxes paid to the Town of Midland. When Councilman Fleener asked Margaret what kind of response the Bethel Athletic Association had received from their own funraising efforts through the Midland Business Association, Commissioner Kathy Kitts replied, “NONE.” Does that indicate lack of support from the Midland business community for the BAA or does that indicate lack of effort on the part of the Bethel Athletic Association to raise funds on their own before coming to the town for support? Margaret reported that the BAA had $13,347 in their treasury designated for athletic field lighting. Again, total amount needed is between $67,500 and $75,000.
About John Crump and Mike Tallent - I made no personal attacks on John Crump or Mike Tallent. Most of the citizens of Midland know that both John Crump and Mike Tallent are politicians. The comments in my post did not question their affiliation with the GOP nor attack them personally. However, any comments they make to the citizens of Midland or in a public meeting and all action they take as town officials is public information and can be stated truthfully as facts. I have known John Crump all my life, and I have known Mike Tallent only a few years. I did not make a negative comment about either one in my post, but, Justin, I do agree with you—-you do have a political bias that shows itself in defense of these two! But, that’s expected from politicians!
Now, Justin, for some things I would like to clear up:
1. The subject of my earlier comments was about spending taxpayer money for lighting athletic fields for the Bethel Athletic Association. I have no issues with Margaret Houston and the Bethel Athletic Association. My issues are with the Midland Town Council and the Mayor and the action they took in regards to spending Midland taxpayer money for this request. The Bethel Athletic Association is a private organization with which Kathy Kitts and Mike Tallent have been involved for many years. They have a special interest in the BAA. Why should more Midland taxpayer money be spent on special interest groups? The BAA is probably a very fine organization with a noble purpose, but it is still a private organization and not to be sponsored and supported by taxpayer funds, in my opinion. Taypayer money should be spent for the common good, safety, and welfare of the entire population of the town, not special interest groups. There are probably plenty of special interest groups that would like to have a $10,000 donation from the town. When this starts, where will it end?
2. Next thought—-Council member Kathy Kitts has been a strong advocate for written policies and procedures on all business related to the Town of Midland before expenditures are made and actions taken. I agree with her. Where are the written policies and procedures for requests from special interest groups? It was a little odd that Kathy was silent on written policies and procedures when it involved her special interest group, the BAA. Think she would be interested in writing some policies and procedures that would permit a limit of a $10,000 donation to all special interest groups that request support from the town?
3. Justin, in my earlier comments, I pointed out that the expenditure for lighting athethic ball fields is just a prime example of why our Town Council and Mayor do not want to address the main issue of taxes and property re-evaluatons in Midland. I say it again, Mayor Crump, Kathy Kitts, Mike Tallent, and Allen Burnette want more money in the town treasury to buy votes from the taxpayers—special interest groups that will keep them in office. You are right, this is GOP politics in Midland, the history and the future! However, I must mention, unless something has changed recently, Kathy Kitts was a registered Democrat when she ran for office in Midland a few years ago! Guess that’s why you were silent about Kathy when you registered your support for Mike Tallent and John Crump!
4. Justin, I am not concerned about politics, I am concerned about the citizens of Midland. All taxpayers need to be treated fairly. Our government leaders are in office to do what is best for the entire town, not just a few businesses or a special interest group or two. Midland is a young town with many needs. The only service we receive for our tax money is garbage and recycling service. We want more than that as citizens, and we need to hold our elected officials responsible when they give away taxpayer money when it is not for the benefit of ALL citizens. My comments are not personal attacks on anyone. I believe Kathy Kitts, Mike Tallent, John Crump, and Don Fleener are good people, but sometimes I disagree with them. As a citizen of Midland, I have the right and responsibility to voice my opinion about issues, and fortunately, everyone else can do the same.
31 Justin Thibault // May 16, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Ruth - The comments about Mike & John were more disclaimer than anything else. I’ve found that it’s important that readers know where you’re coming from.
As for the grants: It’s in the best interest of the County have more ballfields and having lighted ballfields allows more people to enjoy them and get more for all of our recreation dollar. And this wouldn’t really be possible (or fairly funded) without the “pay-to-play” organizations footing the bill for the bulk of the “extras” like lighting.
Also, I’m having a hard time understanding your math about having to “pay twice” for the lighting. Most of the taxes in the County are paid by those of us in Concord and Kannapolis, so the “Midland share” of the County outlay for this is in the single percentage point range. That cost got split between the County, the BAA, and then - the remainder - being picked up by Midland…by something in their own neighborhood.
As for being interested in the citizens and not in the politics. Anyone who runs for office is a politician and all of our officials have run for office - therefore all officials are politicians. Politics is how things get done in government - therefore you can’t get things done in government and be “above” politics.
Finally, as for the right to speak. It’s true you have the right to speak out and I’m glad I have the opportunity to extend to you the privilege of posting your comments on my site. Given that you have a lot to say, I would suggest setting up an account and posting an article instead of just comments. People read the articles more than the comments (this thread is more than a month and half old) and if you’re going to invest the time in a lengthy comment - you might as well put it where more people will read it.
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