My time in Stratford has witnessed a series of blunders and stall tactics in Town Hall that would shame most towns but is accepted as “business as usual” here. We at the Stratford Observer have always been fiercely independent, forgoing party affiliations because of their divisiveness in times such as these. My vote is always in play as I believe in standing behind people who put honorable service and action above petty party politics. Both parties are guilty of failing the people who elected them. As we address the important issues in the coming months, I put it to our elected officials: you can play politics and throw your fits during the two or three months of the heated campaign season.
But the rest of your time belongs to us.
Every failed council session, every off-topic issue introduced during discussions that forces the tabling of other important issues, every time you roll your eyes rather than constructively engaging your opponents… it’s a slap in our face. Our town is quickly becoming a political punch line; we wallow in our own ineptitude and spend all our energies in finding fault with others. The Mayor’s name is the one that gets dragged through the mud in the media, yet my eyes are opening to the inability of the town council to work together and push anything through. No longer do our officials take responsibility for their failure to compromise and work things out; instead, they remain rigid, unbending puppets for the party line and assume that saying, “It’s not my fault” counts as service to their community.
It doesn’t.
Nobody seems to be calling you on it, so we here at the Observer will. If you choose political posturing over the job we elected you to do, shame on you; and shame on us for not seeing through you earlier. We will be keeping a tally and presenting it during the next campaign. We can only hope the sane, thinking people of Stratford will wake up to this growing problem and demand some results from the current council. No one should consider running again unless they can start showing us they deserve our trust.
It’s important that I qualify our position in one regard: I have nothing but respect for the time and effort it takes to sit on this council. I believe in my heart that every member is a good person and hopes for nothing but the best for Stratford. It can’t be easy to deal with so many competing factions while struggling to do what’s right. Unfortunately, this is not enough if you take a seat on a council charged with moving this town forward. You must get results. Make mistakes if you must, adjust when you do, but don’t bring the gears grinding to a halt and then expect us to cheer.
We need solutions on the Shakespeare Theatre project, the Long Beach West situation, the relocation of the animal shelter, the Stratford Army Engine plant, the education budget, and the replacement of aging vehicles in the town fleet, among many others. We cannot have any more meetings when, instead of working together, the council dissolves into fourth-grade arguments over hurt feelings and the rules of order.
How dare you waste our time like this. We expect action, not accusations. Get to work.
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6 comments:
All sounds reasonable to me.
An example of this childish mentality can be witnessed by watching Joe Kubic during a Town Council meeting.
During Town Coucil meetings when any Democrat is speaking (except MAYBE Gavin Forrester) Mr. Kubic squirms around in his seat, makes faces a fourth grader would envy, sighs, rolls his eyes, looks up to the god of Republican inspiration and makes signals to Council Chairman Henrick on what to do.
Mr. Kubic refuses to address any Council member or the Mayor by their elected position/title but rather calls them by their first name.
Now, what is particularly intersting is that Mr. Kubic is a lawyer.
Imagine "Joe" squirming, sighing, face contorting, calling the other lawyers or witnessess or the judge by their first name.
I doubt he does it. I would imagine he manages SOME sense of decorum.
So this is why his behavior during a Town Coucil meeting is particularly obnoxious and offensive.
"Joe" CHOOSES to be that way and frankly that diminishes the credibility of the entire Council and minimizes a true opportunity for cross party working together.
The Republicans on the Town Council must see this. The fact that they do nothing to stop it, the fact that the Chairman does nothing to stop it, is tantamount to complicity.
Simply put, they endorse Joe Kubic's antics, disrespect and disrution.
Shame on them.
What I would love to know is whether the council and mayor can meet informally to discuss these issues and get beyond the emotions. You bring up a good point--this blatant animosity cannot lead to effective compromise. Good decisions involve trust and respect for the other side, even if you disagree!
They should if they do not.
If they do not then the issue is why not? And who is refusing?
Is the Mayor available to meet and Henrick refuse? Or vice versa.
Others have reported seeing the Mayor meeting with members from both parties in his office and elsewhere so I assume SOME of them meet with him.
I guess the real issue is whether the Republican leadership on the Council has any interest in JOINTLY working with the Mayor.
It is obvious to THIS observer that the mentality of Henrick and Kubic is "we have the votes" go screw.
I hope this is not the case, but it seems as if it's more important to impede progress for fear that the current administration would get too much credit going into next year's elections. I'm hoping the voters see through this and start keeping track of who is stalling whom.
I completely agree observer. That is why so many of us ran for Council last year. To finally stop the Republican party's mentality that if they are not in the Mayor's office, nothing will move forward. It is so childish it is sad.
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