Public employees
arrogance; lawbreaking ways reason public doesn't trust government Editor: Elected officials and the so called "leaders" of our area, that have been scratching their heads over the defeat of the Road Referendum, need only look at the pure arrogance and defiance of the law exhibited by HRPDC's Art Collins in his refusal to open a public meeting to the taxpayers, if they want to know why the voters distrust government. Collins, the self appointed tyrant of taxes, has once again shown his arrogance and contempt for the taxpayers of Hampton Roads.
A public meeting in which public policy
decisions are made, under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, by
law, is to be open the public. Apparently Collins feels he is above
the law and kept not only the public, but the press out of this
important meeting.
Collins who has been the head cheerleader
for tolls and increased taxes on Hampton Roads citizens has a history
of lawless activity, when it comes to obeying Freedom of Information
dictates. Every initiative that Collins has pushed to increase
taxes on citizens has been a miserable failure and maybe its time for
elected officials to look for a replacement that understands that
public policy means exactly that.......the public has a right to see,
hear and participate in Public Policy. How many more failures
before they start looking for a responsible replacement for this tyrannical
despot of bureaucracy? Under Collins, the HRPDC has been
impudent in bringing forth any practical solutions to area
transportation problems. His unwillingness to open the process
to the public or press has ingrained a distrust of the purpose and
operation of the state and federally mandated operation we know as the
HRPDC and MPO. While Collins repeatedly calls for increased
taxes, he has never called on state officials to fix the waste and
mis-management in VDOT as a means to raise money for needed road
improvements.
Its time to replace Collins with someone
who understands that the taxpayers pay his salary, pay for his
building, pay for his staff and that he isn't an independent
unaccountable loose canon who can do what he damn well pleases.
Its time to make his answerable to those who pay his way.
Even more surprising was Virginia Beach
City Manager Jim Spore's role in this illegal meeting. Spore who
has hidden behind the FOIA on more than one occasion when using it
against city employees, should have known first hand that what Collins
was doing, was wrong and illegal.
Maybe strengthening of the FOIA by local
legislators that calls for jail time for violators would alleviate the
cavalier attitude by people like Collins and Spore to violate the law.
Until local elected officials find new
leadership for the HRPDC and MPO, they can bank on the fact that
voters will not trust anything that comes out of the advisory body and
will vote NO on anything it suggests. Wake up elected officials,
the emperor has no clothes and the public knows it now. Get rid
of Collins and you might win some respect back, but its going to take
someone of integrity and honesty that obeys the law and respects the
taxpayers to get it. For every day that Collins continues to run
the HRPDC, its just another day farther from the goal of fixing our
transportation needs in our region. Is he really worth it?
PM - Chesapeake |