"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. -- C.S. Lewis
The following article appears at NKY.COM and is reprinted here for your convenience.
An initial draft of an independent auditor's review of the City of Alexandria's finances reveal an 18 percent reduction in overall debt (a reduction of $211,657), and a surplus or reserve fund of about $1.04 million.
Thursday, December 2, 2010 is traditionally the last city council meeting for the year which means this will be the last council meeting that Mayor McGinley will preside over.
We are looking to 2011 with optimism and hoping that pugilistic politics will finally come to an end.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck. ~ Unknown quote
Some things just strike us as odd.
One of these is the way that Alexandria approaches outfitting its code enforcement officer.
An article appeared on NKY.com reporting that a complaint has been filed with state election finance officials regarding a pre-election advertisement placed in local newspapers by the Northern Kentucky Tea Party.
Click here to read the article
Click here to read the complaint
Questions were raised here on October 29 concerning this ad.
A Tuesday Morning store is due to open soon in the old TJ Maxx location at Alexandria Village Green shopping center.
The exact date is not known but we have been told “real soon” (perhaps in a few weeks).
Here is how they describe themselves.
Tuesday Morning is a retailer specializing in upscale closeout merchandise, with more than 800 stores across the United States. Our successful concept was founded on a unique philosophy: sell first-quality, famous designer and name-brand merchandise at extraordinarily discounted prices on an event basis. Our 10 major events usually kick off on the first Tuesday of the month. We receive new merchandise shipments daily, and customers can return often to find the shelves replenished with new items.
When shopping at Tuesday Morning customers can expect:
· Identical or similar inventory to that found in better catalogs, upscale department stores, or specialty boutiques
· A merchandise mix divided into major categories, including upscale decorative accessories, rugs, lamps, books, crystal and glassware, china, luggage, luxury bed and bath linens, toys, gourmet foods and cookware, flatware, and seasonal items such as greenery, trim, Christmas wrap and decorations, or lawn and garden furniture and accessories
· Well-known and nationally advertised manufacturers and name brands from Europe and across the world
· Casual, self-serve in-store atmosphere with a no-frills presentation
We value our customers and are committed to providing ever-changing collections of deeply discounted closeout merchandise.
The website for Tuesday Morning’s is located here Tuesday Morning .
We will post more information as it becomes available.
The title is the name of an old Bob Dylan tune and no where is that more apparent than the election of a new mayor to lead Alexandria for the next four years.
Bill Rachford, the city’s new mayor is the polar opposite of Dan McGinley.
On Tuesday, November 2, 2010 a new mayor, Bill Rachford, was elected to lead Alexandria for the next 4 years.
Two new council members were also elected, Joe Anderson and Bob Simon. Council members serve two year terms.
Council member Lloyd Rogers was not re-elected and there was vacancy to be filled as the new Mayor will have vacated his seat at the end of the year.
The Mayor/Council Line up is:
Mayor –
Bill Rachford
Council Members –
Scott Fleckinger
Dave Hart
Stacey Graus
Barb Weber
Joe Anderson
Bob Simon
The new line-up will begin serving on January 1, 2011.
Following the article When is an endorsement an endorsement? posted on this blog the following article appeared in The Enquirer.
Does NKY Tea Party ad skirt campaign laws?
The Kentucky Enquirer - An ad by the Northern Kentucky Tea Party has caused some people, including the Boone County attorney, to question whether the group has violated Kentucky's campaign finance laws.
This is one of the most unique campaign signs that has been observed running around in Alexandria.
Judging by this ad (shown below) that appeared in The Alexandria Recorder October 28, 2010 it appears that The Northern Kentucky Tea Party is endorsing the list of candidates that it has prominently named in the ad.
But wait.
Reading the fine print at the bottom of the ad it states, “The Northern Kentucky Tea Party does not endorse or financially support candidates for public office”.
It goes on to say, “The above candidates have indicated support and promote the Tea Party principles if elected”.
The ad lists a candidate for mayor and one candidate for city council.
The fine print goes on to say, “There may be other candidates who support the principles of the Northern Kentucky Tea Party but have not made their support known.”
What a crock. We contacted some candidates that are not listed in the ad and they have told us that they were never contacted by the Tea Party in regards to their views but that they also haven’t regularly attended Tea Party meetings.
We can only conclude that in order to make the list the only criteria used was whether or not an individual went to a lot of Tea Party meetings and paid lip service. There was no effort to reach out to the other candidates and solicit their views.
The ad also states that the Northern Kentucky Tea Party “promotes the principles of fiscal responsibility, limited government and free markets”.
The ad urges you to vote yes on the adoption of the Justice of the Peace form of government for Campbell County which is in essence bigger government as it goes from 3 commissioners to 8 justices.
An ad that appears to be political endorsements but says in fine print that it is not and says the organization is for limited government but endorses expanded government seems like a group that hasn’t quite gotten its act together.
We said it earlier but feel compelled to say it again, what a crock.
You be the judge.
Round two of the Anti-Lloyd Rogers ads. This one appeared in The Alexandria Recorder on October 28, 2010.
There were some interesting ads in The Alexandria Recorder October 28, 2010 edition.
Here is one of them.
Here is a paid advertisement that ran in The Alexandria Recorder October 21, 2010 Page B7.
In the Viewpoints section, page A9 of the October 14, 2010 edition of the Alexandria Recorder there appeared an article titled “Keep Dan McGinley – he’s a ‘proven leader’” by guest columnist Robert Feinauer including Mr. Feinauer’s picture.
The article reads like Mayor McGinley’s claimed accomplishments, campaign statements and talking points.
For someone who seems so well informed no one seems to ever remember seeing Mr. Feinauer in attendance at any council meetings.
Could Mr. Feinauer have a ghost writer?
Comments can be posted or read by clicking on comments below this line.
We asked ourselves after reading the press release (reprinted below) “Just who is CLAG”?
We don’t recall them publicly taking stands on issues or endorsing candidates before. We’ve never heard of them.
Are they some secret society of “ultra-elites”?
Well a little research shows that you can find a list of their members and you too can be a member for a payment of $50 in yearly dues.
By the way, after some careful thought we agree that a change from the commission system would not be in the best interests of the citizens of Campbell County and so we urge a vote against this goofy proposal.
The slate of candidates for Mayor and City Council are listed below the last post. As we are getting closer to the election on November 2 how do you feel about the folks on the list?
Comments can be posted or read by clicking on comments below this line.
Concern is swirling, albeit quietly for now, surrounding the apparent lack of information available concerning usage and financial reporting for the Alexandria Community Center complex. The complex includes a separate building which is also utilized for rental use.
Apparently the city is unable or unwilling to supply a list of users, dates of use and fees collected for each use.
The Community Center plan is supposed to be that it would be self-sustaining and the tax-payers would not be subsidizing its private use. The city employs two dedicated employees for the Community Center.
Some questions are:
These are legitimate questions and the city should be able and willing to supply this information. After all, the Community Center complex is tax-payer owned and funded.
Comments can be posted or read by clicking on comments below this line.