Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Aberdeen’s Financial Wizardry

In 1999, Congress budgeted $4.5 billion in “emergency funding” for the 2000 census. The national census is constitutionally mandated to be done every 10 years yet Congress chose to budget it as an “emergency” to avoid spending caps. 7 years later, Aberdeen Township followed suit and declared the upcoming property revaluations a “Special Emergency” but with two caveats. Aberdeen Township budgeted for nearly twenty months into the future and borrowed $450,000 over a year before a penny of it was needed.
The property revaluation raises several fiscal questions. First, why did we not issue a joint bid with Matawan? Both municipalities used the same vendor, Realty Appraisal Company, at approximately the same time. (Aberdeen delayed the property revaluations to take place after the elections for town council.)

The next question is why did we borrow $450,000 over a year before we needed the money? A bond was sold to Columbia bank in December, 2006. The revaluations weren’t scheduled until 2008 and we still haven’t made any vendor payments. At 3.87% interest over a 13-month period, that’s over $20,000 in unnecessary interest payments on a five-year note.

Perhaps the township borrowed the money early to lock in a low interest rate. If so, why didn’t they purchase an interest rate swap instead? An interest rate swap is similar to a futures contract – If interest rates go up, your profit offsets the higher cost of borrowing. Furthermore, 40% of the principal is being paid back before making the first vendor payment. We borrowed $450,000 to pay Realty Appraisal Company but will only have $270,000 on hand when the first bill comes due.

The next question is why did we borrow any money at all? The township has over $3 million in the bank for reserves - that's 40% of the township's annual tax revenue (budget - sheet 39). We could have just “borrowed” the money from ourselves and paid it back into our own accounts with interest. Why give money to the bank?

(As an aside, this was a nice win for the bank. Columbia lent the money to the township, which then deposited the money in Columbia. The bank not only profited from the interest spread but was able to add to its reserves and increase its ability to make other investments. To its credit, the bank is a significant contributor to the Educational Foundation.)

That leads to the larger question of what we’re doing with our money. I share everyone’s concern that we don’t trust our elected officials to make investment decisions on our behalf. Still, why wouldn’t we purchase short term (2-5 yrs) AA corporate bonds that offer higher interest rates? How secure is the bank? If the bank fails, the FDIC insurance would only cover $100,000. Who do you trust more? Columbia Bank or bonds issued by AIG?

Maybe the township could reserve one day a month to brainstorm how to save us money. They’d still have the rest of the month to continue their free spending ways.
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45 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I share everyone’s concern that we don’t trust our elected officials to make investment decisions on our behalf."

Apparently we do trust our elected officials as some of the members of the current political party have been in place for over a decade. Are the majority of voters consistently wrong, or, are we simply dealing with a group of reprobate bloggers who will complain about anything to one another because no one else will listen?

Anonymous said...

The last poster is suggesting that those who criticize incumbent politicians are just whiners who are not in sync with the majority that elected the current incumbents into office. That kind of thinking is insulting to those that defend our form of government by asking the questions that surface from the actions of corrupt politicians who use the power of incumbency, powered by pay-to-play political donations, to outspend those with opposing views.

Most people do not spend much time thinking about how our government is run. Most people simply are not that interested. Many people, for instance, really don't care who provides what service, as long as the service they receive is provided a an efficient and quality way. It is a credit to Aberdeen's mostly hard working Police and Public Works staff that our town operates as well as it does. However, that doesn't excuse the seemingly corrupt actions by some elected officials (Gumbs,Sobel,Drapkin,Vinci) and pseudo self-appointed guardians (Kauff)to collect as much as they can from professionals that are hired by the town at the expense of businesses and residents.

It should outrage everyone that you can't get a zoning permit or any kind of building permit that requires an engineering review without paying the township engineer CME outrageous fees to review plans and inspect projects. The behavior of this Council in supporting a fleecing of the public, and then defending it by saying it is not in the budget, is outrageous.

Even a good portion of the tax reval money went to CME, I recall seeing on one of the agendas last year. Take from the public and give to CME who then throws some peanuts back to Sobel and buddies.

The majority of voters would vomit if they realized what was going on.

Anonymous said...

CME is a huge problem in this town, the other poster is correct. They get every job, they don't even go out to bid for the most part and then CME gives the democratic committe some money for their campaign, it is ridiculous. CME & the Council members of Aberdeen are perfect examples of Pay to Play in NJ!

Anonymous said...

The only reason that the elected officials have retained their current positions for as many years as they have is because the average citizen isn't aware of all the corruption that has been going on. To that end I thank the Aberdeener for bringing all this information to us. And he backs everything up with documents. Hopefully as a more informed voting public, we can begin to make positive changes in our town's government.

Anonymous said...

Aberdeener - Why don't you take up a collection from readers so that the site can be publicized? Where can we make contibutions? How much does a display ad cost in the independent? Maybe we can get the Asbury Park Press to do a profile on you - how you moved to town and created this blog to get involved.

I applaud your effort to become positively involved and to try to understand these local shananigans.

Those who criticize the blog for being negative are just trying to protect the status quo, like those who tried to defend the former Soviet Union in the final days of Communist rule. I find it amazing that people criticize the exposure you are giving these issues and those that read the Aberdeener, yet they seem to be loyal readers themselves and don't attempt to refute any facts.

The Aberdeener has been a powerful voice in the community precisely because it attempts to be an open marketplace of ideas. There is no agenda to wanting good government and a strong school system in our community.

Aberdeener said...

Thank you for your offer to help publicize the site. I'm hoping I won't need it. I have been in discussions about how to promote the site. If all else fails, I would consider distributing flyers or doing a mass mailing.

However, I'm hoping it won't come to that. If you see me engaging in a mass publicity campaign, it means I have lost hope of working with the "powers that be".

I'd rather see our leadership move in a positive direction than try to "overthrow" them.

Anonymous said...

Is CME and the township council the reason Cliffwood Beach has the worst roads in the town ? Hardly no sidewalks, let alone curbs?

Anonymous said...

I'M BACK......

Middlesex Jim and the Mrs. just back from a two month trip across America. Gas bill for the RV we borrowed was $2,300.00 and just so everyone knows America is still out there.

Now we have returned to Kauffland. F you Norman, let me get off to a good start. I am sure Norm has missed us.

Now we are back in the devils den that is our Matawan and Aberdeen. What have we missed?

Did anyone get indicted? Vinci get anymore street signs the selfish rat?? Norman Kauff shakedown anymore developers in the parking lot for his supposed fees, legal or otherwise??? Drapkin get anymore printing jobs for the Kauff/Scudeiri crime syndicate????
Raymond get any more family members jobs????? Aberdeen get a new manager yet?????? How about Sobel is he packing up his house or having back surgery??????? Maybe he is so bent over from taking it from Norman... all of these years. It must be painful????????

Wait we did hear from a friend while we were in Arizona that Aberdeen's leadership (AKA Norman Kauff) as we all know, looked hard at a stooge from Old Bridge. Old Bridge where political as you all need to realize is where corruption was circumcised. Right Norm. We all can't wait till the new guy takes control as you can be sure Kauff will have a direct line to his new puppet.

How about my Matawan. Mullaney getting his friends jobs, Kauff get his foot in the door and into Matawan's pockets. Kauff by the way seems his reach is getting longer, and so we hear is the investigation into him and the syndicate by the authorities. Oh wait don't you feel left out Vinci, F You too! Still parking illegally in handicapped spots V?

Well we're off to return the RV. One more fill up on the debit card.

We're back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Middlesex Jim and the Mrs.

Anonymous said...

and nothing has changed.

Anonymous said...

Typical response is insulting.

And all too typical.

How about the truth that Kauff and his crew are ruining Aberdeen. That is the truth of a stratement that "NOTHING HAS CHANGED". Not once have any of them responded to defend themselves. They know they are bad for all they have done and when the hammer falls on all of them I will laugh at the ignorant who make claims like "nothing has changed". Answer me on that ANONYMOUS.

Or just shut up and keep defending those so guilty they will not defend themselves.

Good Morning to all.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the support but Mr. or Mrs. anonymous that makes the statement that "nothing has changed" is absolutley correct.

A call I received yesterday is proof of that. A retired employee in Aberdeen advised me that the CME fleecing is continuing at an alarming rate. CME has supposedly been behind the ouster of the former Twp. Manager Stuart Brown. It seems Brown would not sign off on work that CME was billing but that CME never performed. Like that has never happened before. Cudos to Stuart Brown. I hope the investigators in the Monmouth County prosecutors look into that little tidbit.

It is my understanding the CME/Kauff war chest is growing.

Now if anyone has any info on my Mullaney please advise me.

Thanks in advance.

Middlesex Jim

Anonymous said...

I hope that Middlesex Jim can show some restraintwith his use of innuendos and rude comments. The language used detracts from what he is saying and lowers the bar on the quality of input to this forum. Let's be civil.

I agree that some current elected officials lack honesty and don"t care about the people they are supposed to serve. But it's not like the local Republicans have stepped up to the plate to denounce pay-to-play. They would simply fire CME and hire T&M and continue raping the public. Besides, you don't even know they exist until 2 weeks before the election. Then they run a loser like Gartley who isn't capable of winning an election.

We need real reform - not empty change - but real reform that would prevent contactors from making any contributions to candidates or partoes. CME might pay these guys to get the $million in work every year; but, our "leaders" are accepting the cash. It's wrong, we know that it's wrong, let's stop it.

matawan advocate said...

Matawan is still here just alot poorer. We are working with a Budget deficit and looks like we will be starting 2009 with another deficit, that will make two years in a row! We are all practicing saying Bamkruptcy! The 2008 Road Program has not been scaled down from their ambitious additions and a no bid contract to Maser Consulting for $300,000. It appears the sister-towns of Aberdeen & Matawan are going down the same destructive road.

Welcome back Mr & Mrs. Middlesex Jim to the most "Dysfunctional" part of NJ.

Anonymous said...

Nothing has changed as in Aberdeen is still doing all the wrong things, counil members are terrible, etc.. I think you misunderstood.

Anonymous said...

well since this blog has opened - a lot of things have been said about the current town govt. Let us see the turn out in the next election or two.

Let us see if we will put up or shut up. If most of the info here is true, the names included, then there is no leg to stand on. Let us see who the Rep. party puts up and if there is an independent candidate.

This is getting ridiculous that these allegations sound formidable, the county prosecutor does nothing, so we have to do the dirty work come election time.

Aberdeener said...

Funny you should mention the county prosecutor. I'll be mentioning someone from that office in my next piece.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully the person you mention is the one who will handcuff Aberdeen's supposed leadership and their fearless leader Norman Kauff.

That name (Norman Kauff) when it comes off of my tongue always has me repressing the need to vomit. I cannot believe after all these years and all of the parking lot shakedowns coupled with the Kauff/Coren condo deals, Norman can still walk around without hiding his face. I guess as my Mother used to say he knows it all and could bury them all. If he turned rat that is.

I only hope that when the handcuffs are snapped close on all of them, that one of them is smart enough to RAT. Prison is not a pretty place for old men right Vinny.

Middlesex Jim

Anonymous said...

Their is financing and then their is Kauffing. That means simply that Norman and his cronies get to feed at the trough and the taxpayers get to supply their feedbag.

Where is Tom Perry in all of this?

It is said that one man is an island, and that is what I hear about him. Perhaps he needs to be the one man in the rowboat who rocks the boat and puts all of the rest of them into the water.

Think about it Councilman Perry?

Make a difference. Be that island.

Be the man who stands up for all the rest of us who are not on the inside. I hear they do not like you anyway and that only means your the one honest leader Aberdeen has.

Think about it Councilman Perry.

Anonymous said...

Kenny CB you are dead on about Councilman Perry. It is the unfortunate circumstance that he is the only one who has not drank and swallowed the Kauff Kool-aid.

Very similar of course to the tragedy that was Jonestown, but with a much slower death to the taxpayers of Aberdeen at the hands of the Reverend Norman kauff, instead of Reverend Jim Jones.

Reverend Jones unfortunately took the easy way out or was silenced from within his closest followers. I would prefer Kauff pay his price in public. If that could only happen very soon to Norman Kauff it would make my summer.

Got to go grills smoking.

Avenge me boys, avenge me!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Back to the creative and to say the least questionable financing tactics presently in use. Let me guess the CFO of Aberdeen who it has been rumored for years, was none too popular with the Aberdeen leadership, has finally filled the void left by Stuart Brown and is marching goosestep beside the Kauff crew. We can imagine working under Coren was no picnic, if she has been there when Coren ran the show. We wonder who she liked better? The man who said no to Kauff (Stuart Brown) or the tyrant (Coren)who was Kauff's beard and the approver of all of the millions of dollars funneled to CME, and all of the rest of them.

Can you tell we missed the Aberdeener and stirring the pot around here.

We must get the word out to all before the election. Phone chains, signs along the roadways, hand out fliers, something. Count my wife and I in on any of the above.

Start with a simple one and just list Vinci's accomplishments. Wait a minute there are none. That is unless you count throwing Minotollo under the bus. Then of course there is the Vinci intersection. A mere $865,000.00 just to keep cars off of his street. What a set this self serving politician has. We love the signs he demanded be installed as well. We nearly drove off the road from laughing when we saw that he needed two of them. Does V really think he is that important. The only two DO NOT BLOCK THE INTERSECTION SIGNS in th entire town. One would think that near schools or crossing guard areas would be more important for such signs rather than on each side of Vinci's street? But wait we forget Vinci is Mr. Important. Right V?

Vinci can you tell we missed you. If you think real hard you will remember my wife and I. We will give you a hint, Original Oakshades.

We are still waiting on our Mullaney update or anything on the train station and Big Vic scudeiri.

Mr. & Mrs. Middlesex Jim

Anonymous said...

Only news on the train station is that the Court rammed it up Kauff's developer friend's arse. Remember, the ex-felon that Kauff and friends want as a developer -- sued Matawan because they wouldn't play along. They lost big time. Even Matawan has more sense than Aberdeen -- staying away from that guy.

Anonymous said...

Convicted felon? What is this about?

Where are the newspapers and the authorities?

So much evidence and so little response from the authorities and those who are supposed to represent the press. Where are reporters who care and want to investigate. If the Independent or APPress don't do something about this stuff I will cancel my subscription and throw away the Independent.

Wake up and do something is my message to the news and the law.

Do not fail us please.

Anonymous said...

If there are so many comments about Kauff,

Does anyone say anything in the public portion of council meetings?

Can the paper and money trail be proven on paper?

If so, when is the rally or protest?

I see this name all the time. I see the connections people made to our town. Can anything be done?
Will anyone ask our mayor or council to refute this stuff?

I am losing faith fast..... and I agree with another poster when they said that Cbeach has the worst roads and lack of sidewalks. This would not fly in Strathmore or other parts of Aberdeen.

Anonymous said...

None of them live in cliffwood beach, Vinci has his own block, D section, I section, etc. All Strathmore section.

Anonymous said...

Cliffwood and cliffwood beach may not have sidewalks which is due to many factors most of which have to do with the age of the structures, proximity to street frontage and and more. As for gutters and more being installed, the abilities to put in gutters and additional drainage and the like will come as roads are repaved and improved.

As for these areas having the worst roads and the continual tactics of comparing one area against another such tactics are singular and ignorant.

As for these two areas having the worst roads in Aberdeen that is TRULY not the case. All roads are fairly and justly done on a worst roads first basis. That of course is not the past history of Aberdeen's leadership when one former Mayor demanded and I quote
"I am the Mayor the least you can do is pave my road first". Guess whose road was paved first?

Leadership is flawed if it is not held accountable. Our leadership is not held accountable in many forms and it is most assuredly flawed, corrupt and far more.

Ask your local representatives what they have accomplished for Cliffwood and Cliffwood Beach before you start castigating other areas of Aberdeen.

Without a doubt our present leadership is corrupt and self serving and we let them be just that. There is no doubt that Norman Kauff is no good for our community.

What do the newspapers do as well as the supposed authorities do about that? They like us allow it to continue.

Vinci should be hounded by that intersection and its costs so tied to a selfish and worthless politician. What did any of us do we all know it is there?

Sure I retired and I am moving out of Aberdeen as soon as I can that is all I can do after Norman Kauff has raped and destroyed every resident through his sleezeball ways. John Gotti had nothing on your Norman Kauff as he has never been held accountable for his crimes. He should be clapped in irons, tarred and feathered, run out of town on a rail. Choose one or all three as he deserves all and more. Find out where he lives and protest in front of his house, call his offices and tell him what you think. Harass him as he harasses all of us with his unscrupulous and illegal whims.

What will the rest of you do about your Norman Kauff and all he controls as well as the costs you have to endure because of him?

My time is done and this is the most I have put on here in the past two years. I am done and I am moving out. Closing date is August 15, 2008 and Tempe Arizona and my grandchildren will be my next topic to take up my time.

I wish all of you who are stuck here with your failed leadership well. Concentrate on Kauff and the rest will fold like a deck of cards.

Good luck and goodbye.

John Q. Public formerly of Aberdeen

Anonymous said...

Having lived in both areas of town i can assure you that streets are no worse in Cliffwood and Cliffwood beach than anywhere else.

Everyone thinks their street is the worst. It is unfortunately human nature in a societal climate where everyone thinks they are left out.

The truth is something people do not want to hear or acknowledge.

Think about it.

Anonymous said...

I think the point was that the poster thought there was work to be done in the cliffwood and cliff bch. section.

And I have to disagree, if the roads, lack of sidewalks, and drainage were that bad, the people of Strathmore and other parts of Aberdeen would not stand for it. It is not an indictment. Nor do I think calling it ignorant is the answer. The point about older structures is true as is footage from house to street allowances makes sense. Thanks for the info but not the condemnation.

Now question, were you leaving town to AZ anyway, or did the workings of this town really push you out or sooner than you wanted? Good Luck either way....

Anonymous said...

The rumor I keep hearing is that many of the Kauff crew are going to follow their "friend" Bob Axelrod out of town. Axelrod was the Kauff anointed head of the Aberdeen Dems until he cashed out and moved out, Sobel is next. How long can Kauff keep his stranglehold on these people? Look at the average age of Planning Board members, Councilmembers, Zoning Board members. Kauff should find a cave somewhere and hide.

Anonymous said...

Come on and wake up. Drive from Keyport to Cliffwood Beach on Amboy Ave. and see the differance when you cross the bridge! Make a right and drive down Shore Concourse and the lack of curbs, It's been this way for over 30 years without any improvements. Don't forget the famous words of a high ranking school administrator a few years ago refering to residents of Cliffwood and Cliffwood Beach as( those people).

Anonymous said...

I remember that too. I am sorry - but the roads are apples and oranges.......

Not a huge deal. There are bigger stories to be told about the town as a whole

Anonymous said...

Take a ride through some of our neighboring communities, you know the ones that are of a class or two higher then ours. Take a look at some of their roads. We can complain about alot of issues within the Township of Aberdeen, but I have to give credit were credit is due. Aberdeen Township has been aggresively reinvesting in its road program. And that applies to both sides of town.

Now as for our beach itself, thats another story. Our beach has been very much negleted by our politicians. And that I believe does have something to do with which side of town it is located on.

Anonymous said...

The sea wall project is a joke. What do we hope to bring to the town by doing this? It is costing us over $200,000 so CME can get some more work. They are piling up dirt and I guess going to pave it and put a rail there to make it code for ADA. Who is going to come? People from all over to walk along the sea wall in Cliffwood Beach? It is a waste of money, Keyport works because of it's loation to town and shops. Ours is nowhere near anything, no cofffee shops, restaurants, etc. It is a worthless project. The money would be better spent cleaning up that area and improving our parks.

Anonymous said...

I don't know, Old Bridge doesn't have any restaurants or coffee shops!! But they have taken advantage of federal money and done something with their beaches. The point is, up until now we have just about done nothing with ours. Im glad to see the Township is finally doing something with it. Im not exactly thrilled with the current project because I dont think its enouph, but hopefully its just the beginning and it will bring some attention to the area.

Anonymous said...

Old Bridge has a police presence in that area, lots of parking with easy beach access. It is off the highway and easy to get too. The sea wall project is a joke, put the money to better use is what I say. No one uses the park, basketball courts or roller hockey rink down there. Fising is what people do there and leave a big mess. Money would be better spent elsewhere.

matawan advocate said...

Mr. & Mrs. Middlesex Jim, Latest on the Transit Village is Matawan Borough and its previous Council won again in the Appellate Court. Mullaney is on the Redevelopment Committee Matawan it will be interesting to hear his vision. Previously, he stated he didn't want to comment until the case was concluded. Now being he is associated with Vic Scudiery(they sit on a local Hospital Board) can't help but wonder if he will have to abstain from voting on anything to do with Redevelopment & the Transit Village. Just for those who don't know... Scudiery is the Monmouth County Democratic Chairman, as such donated $8500. to Mary Aufseeser's unsuccessful campaign for re-election as Mayor, owns that gray building and parking lot on the Transit Village site. How can we trust Mullaney to make choices that are good for Matawan when Matawan Democrats obviously have to pay back "good ole Vic?"

Anonymous said...

Im sure there are a certain number of people who would like to do nothing with the beachfront and they can give us dozen's of reasons why. Police presence, out of the way, no one will use it, it will get ruined, so on and so forth. And to our politicians defense this is probably the signal that they have received from many Township residents. Unfortunately this leads back to a historical problem within this town. The seperation between Cliffwood and the rest of the town. The dirty little topic that no one really wants to admit to. If our beachfront was located somewhere other then in Cliffwood, you better believe that we would be in line with all of the rest of the towns in the area that have spent money on their coast lines.

Anonymous said...

I live in Cliffwood and agree I don't see what the big deal is with the sea wall project. I don't feel the residents of the town will use it for many reasons. Location is the main reason; there is no town, shopping, police around, no easy access, etc. Cliffwood is ignored at times but I just don't see the great need for this project, except to get CME some more money. I have been down there at least 10 times since this project started and can't see much work. The only reason I have been there is to see the work being down, ordinarily I don't go there at all. They are moving and adding layers of dirt I imagine lengthening the sea wall and making it accessible for everyone. If people believe that the town people will come there to use it I think they are sadly mistaken.

Money could be spent much better in town.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately I have to agree with the post from 134 pm. It is something that no one wants to speak of.

If the beach was not tagged Cliffwood, it would not be in the condition it is in.

If have lived here over 30 years. If you looked at the Old Bridge Cbeach before their project, it looked like ours. They did 2 projects - one by the Dunkin Donuts and one by ours over the little bridge. They are 2 amazing projects and not to extravagant. If they just mirrored what was done to the the Old Bridge Cbeach over the bridge and copy - it would be beneficial.

It is a chicken or the egg. If you build it, they will come is the quote OR it won't be used, which is possible, SO DONT BOTHER. It is an intersting debate. But Old Bridge took a risk and did and it worked and their cops and station are much farther away. And dont blame our cops for not going down there WHERE IS NOTHING BUT A BIRD WATCHING SIGN!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Btw- it is very interesting the Vic Scudiery owns that little grey building and lot. Did it not catch on fire a way back? Did he own it then? and now it sits waiting for a decision about the village? This is coincidence?

And what is differnce with the Matawan village plan and the Aberdeen plan? And why dont they work together again?

Anonymous said...

The interesting part is that Scudiery has kept the building up. Property is worth more with a building on it than vacant land. There are two different Developers. Silver Oaks is the Developer for Aberdeen and also the Developer who brought litigation against Matawan and its Council. We understand that the Aberdeen plan favors Aberdeen and not Matawan. However, once Matawan can begin working on the Transit Village we are confident Mayor Buccellato will work to the benefit of Matawan and Mayor Sobel for Aberdeen. Hopefully, they will work together and Matawan & Aberdeen will benefit. Keep in mind Matawan doesn't have the ratables that Aberdeen has, i.e., Stop & Shop, Shop-Rite, McDonalds, gas stations, etc.

Anonymous said...

To the comment where nothing is going on down there. How does all the graffitti get on the roller hockey walls? How are all those fires on the beaches lit? Who litters all the beaches? Who? Someone is going down there and causing more work for the township. I have been to the Old Bridge park over the bridge and I never see anyone there. If I run there for 45 minutes I will be lucky to see one guy walking his dog. That place is vacant all the time, so lets add to it and waste money on our beach too.

Anonymous said...

The monies needed to better the Aberdeen Cliffwod Beach area should have been applied for many years ago. One problem Kauff and Coren did not care about the beach area of Aberdeen.

It was of course always highlighted as the Jewel of Aberdeen in all of the political literature during the annual election process in November. By the way we are the fools part of that statement, as we reelect idiots annually.

Do not be a fool in November. Send someone, I mean anyone in to gum up the mess and ask questions they do not want to answer. Do you think there is an open phone line to Norman Kauff's residence during every meeting.

Check the transcripts and see if they list Kauff as an active participant in the meetings or does Mayor Sobel excuse himself to give updates.

You cannot make this stuff up.

Anonymous said...

I will be fair and agree that things should have been done down at the beach years ago....... and IT MAY be too late.

And it was funny how all of the old flyers did call the beach - the jewel of Aberdeen. I don't know, but when I have a ring - I clean it regularly, polish it, care for it, show it off, and fix it when there is a scratch.

Has any of this been done to our beach- the jewel?

Anonymous said...

My son is a skateboarder and my husband and i were told a year or so ago that a skate park was a very doable item for the recreation budget. It seems the concentration and activities like movies and the like has been cut drastically since Mr. Brown was removed.

Does not the community and taxpayers deserve more things like that? I recall not so long ago that our former manager brought many different and great activities to Aberdeen, which were well attended , granted rain and weather conditions seemed to play a part quite often.

However the pleasures and act of giving the taxpayers something for their tax dollars to enjoy seems, to have gone back to a minimal number of activities. It is obvious those who ignored the needs or a desire by the community to be given some enjoyment or pleasurable activities has returned to an occasional event since Mr. Brown left.

The celebration of the anniversary of Aberdeen over that year was full of events and activities, memorable were most of them. I understand that it may have been not so welcome by our leadership as it was not something they could bill off to their friends and associates. Too bad. They all patted themselves on the back and glad handed the voters who attended and now they ignore the same voters as it is not a big election year.

Give the taxpayers more than the minimum, after all we pay for it and deserve it.

Less than 110 days till election day. Who is running and what will their line of bull be this year. It will not be financial soundness that is for sure.

Maybe we could get some money back from all of their approved fees and the like to the engineers and others are given.

Fat chance i am sure.

Anonymous said...

I agree Mr. Brown was good for Aberdeen. The proof is in the fact that our leadership if you can use a word like leadership to describe these slugs is vapid and all too willing to do as they are told.

Leadership in the term and definition is to take charge, do right by others and yes lead. Ours just follows and has taken self service to a new low.

What was that movie where one man stood up against those he served behind and after hours and hours and hours standing and talking one man was able to prove his point and change the minds of all of the others present in his duty to the people. It was an old film with Jimmy Stewart I think.

Do we not have even one leader or citizen who will stand up and shout
I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore.

Good day.