It has been a few weeks since I posted anything on here. I
have a lot of catching up to do. Hello everyone and welcome back. If you’re a
first time visitor, I am glad you are taking time to read this blog. Let’s get
right to it.
Before I get too
far into this blog post, I want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas. I say
Christmas because I am a Christian, which means I believe that Jesus Christ is
the one and only son of God. I am not offended by anyone who doesn’t say merry
Christmas and it’s not my intentions to offend anyone by saying merry
Christmas.
Over the last few
weeks, there has been a lot going on behind the scenes in the little town of
Bedford. In a public meeting, the Bedford City Commission discussed a report
that the city truck was not safe to drive anymore because the frame was rusted
beyond repair. The truck will eventually be sold, I am hopeful to get that
discussion started in January. Other than the rusted frame, the truck is in
great shape.
As for snow
removal and tending the city streets during snow events, the contract goes back
to Hoskins. After all, he was the only one with equipment to show an interest
in the job. I have heard from several people in the community telling me I
should call this person or that person about the job and although I greatly
appreciate that information I stand firm on the idea that we advertised to hire
someone for this position back in the fall. It’s my opinion, and that doesn’t
mean it’s right, but I think if someone is looking for work, he or she would
call us (the city), not vice versa. And just to support that opinion, what if I
called Bill and asked him if he wanted to clean the streets in Bedford this
winter. While I was calling Bill, the other commissioners were calling people
they knew might have an interest in the gig. Each person who received a phone
call might have the notion that they were going to plow snow in Bedford this
winter and start making plans with how that money could be used. How would
those people feel when they learn that other people were called too and only
one person is going to get the contract? I suspect the other guys might not
want to talk to anyone about doing work for the city anymore and rightly so.
After reaching a decision
to contract with Hoskins, three commissioners took it upon themselves to look
into trading the sewer plant’s tractor for a new one to use for snow removal.
Those commissioners meet nearly every day at the community center. It is a
direct violation of Kentucky’s Open Meetings Laws, but this is Bedford so they
don’t care. In their defense, two of the three are over 80 years old. It’s like
three little boys sitting around talking about a fishing trip. The only
difference is, they are discussing business that involves spending other people’s
tax dollars and it’s illegal. What makes the meetings illegal is when the make
decisions during those meetings. Those guys can say they didn’t make any
decisions in their meeting, but the proof lies with a commissioner traveling to
a tractor dealership trying to make a deal on a tractor trade. I suppose, he
could say he never did that, but he accepted a check for his travel expenses.
What’s more on that, two or three years ago the commission agreed that
commissioners would not be reimbursed travel mileage. I am not going to name
anyone today, but beginning in January, I will name these individuals if they
continue to resist adhering to the open meetings laws that are described in the
Kentucky Revised Statutes which be found here: Kentucky Open Meetings Laws.
I took my oath of
office this past Monday following the commission meeting. It was the last
meeting for Mayor Russell Clifton. Russell has been mayor since 1994, after
being beating Mayor Jimmy Black in the November 1993 general election. Russell has put his entire heart and soul into
the town of Bedford and deserves recognition for always doing his best to care
for the whole community over the years. I have learned many things from
Russell. In everything he did, he gave careful consideration to every single
person in this town. His actions were never selfish, though they could’ve been.
His love and affection for Bedford and the people living here can be found
throughout the pages of monthly minutes on record at city hall. So it’s not
just my opinion, it’s fact and the same can be said about Jimmy Black. It is
such an honor for me to follow in their footsteps; it would take me hours to
express how humbling it is for me. There will be some differences in the way I
do things, and after all there is a 20 year age gap between me and Russell,
just like there was between Russell and Jimmy. But one thing remains, we are
servants of the people and doing what’s right is paramount. When I first became
a commissioner in 1992, Mayor Black repeated an old phrase, “You’re never gonna
please all of the people all of the time.” I have big shoes to fill and I pray
that God will continue to lead me to do what is best for the people in Bedford.
Moving on, the regular city commission meeting for January falls
on Martin Luther King Day. City meetings must be established by ordinance and
our ordinance states that if our regular scheduled meeting falls on a legal
holiday, we must meet the Monday following. Therefore, my first regular meeting
will be held on January 26, 2015. I am very excited and grateful to be in this
position. I will be attending Kentucky League of Cities three day conference
for newly elected officials January 21-23. There will be an enormous amount of
information to consume during those three days, and I hope to take a lot of
notes.
My next blog post
will be closer to the end of January unless something comes up that I feel
compelled to write about. I appreciate each one of you for taking time to read
this post and welcome any and all feedback. So until then, Merry Christmas and May
the New Year bring you great health and prosperity.
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