I'm So Dizzy...My Head is Spinning.....

When we vote for Town Council, Mayor, or anyone for that matter, there should be a better vetting process so residents can really get to know the truth about their choices.What do we know about the Mayor? What kind of budget experience does he have? 

In a small Town, you often don't know who you've voted for until its' too late. Unfortunately, that's the case right here in our own, small, charming Mount Airy. Not really so charming sometimes, huh? 

In a small Town, people knock at your door and tell you lies about the other candidates and what they believe in. Tip: Be careful of people who talk about other candidates more than they talk about themselves; it may mean they are hiding information, or fabricating information as a distraction to what they're really all about. Once you've cast your ballot, it's too late. 

Councilman David Blais is a councilman who speaks from his heart. His only agenda is doing right by the Mount Airy taxpayers. He asks the hard questions. He stands his ground. He is not intimidated by the good old boy (and one girl) network. I admire Councilman Blais for his tenacity and passion to protect our tax dollars, while at the same time looking after the long term viability of the Town. 

Below is Councilman Blaise's letter to the editor and his contribution to the Mount Airy Blog this week. It's titled "I'm dizzy form the spin."  This Councilman speaks the truth. There's one thing residents want in this Town. The Truth. They are tired of the incivility and down right nastiness at Town Hall. We can't find common ground and solutions to our problems when certain people continue to write letters that are both misleading and misguided. These are the same people who knocked at your door during the last campaign. I encourage residents to take the time to find the facts and encourage local media to do a better job vetting local candidates.

I'm dizzy from the spin

Many things spin: a child's top, a pinwheel, tires on a vehicle. But the best example of spin I found this week is Bruce Curley's spin on the position of Councilwoman Wendi Peters and myself in regard to Mount Airy's emergency operations plan ("Agreements are crucial in the event of a disaster," Letters, The Gazette, May 19).

First, let me make it clear that Ms. Peters and I 100 percent support an emergency operations plan that will fit our town and the surrounding community. What I did not support was the vagueness in the language of the memorandum of understanding presented by Mayor Pat Rockinberg.

Mr. Curley points out that this is a "legal document" created and signed in advance between local government and service providers. While he is correct that it is an agreement, nothing binds the town to use those service providers, so the legal enforceability may not necessarily exist.

The mayor presented the memorandum of understanding commenting that it was important so local businesses could not "gouge us" in a time of emergency. Ms. Peters commented that she found it disconcerting that the mayor often speaks of "small-town charm," but felt the need to present a document to keep local businesses from "gouging" us in a time of emergency.

Ms. Peters gave examples of local businesses supporting those in need in times of emergency. Ms. Peters merely voiced a concern. I do not find this unreasonable.

While it is true that if the town faces a disaster, using local businesses might not be a likely option. But I believe that we should attempt to patronize local businesses first, not only for economic reasons, but also because their services are right here in our community.

Thirdly, Mr. Curley writes that I continually objected to helping anybody outside of town. That is a blatant falsehood. What I objected to was the wording in the memorandum of understanding that did not define (a) exactly where we would provide help outside of town and (b) if we provided help outside of town, who would pay the bill? I could not, in good conscience, support something that places any additional burdens upon our taxpayers to pay for services for individuals who do not live in our town.

I required clarification of these two issues, and never objected to providing services to people outside of town. In fact, the mayor agreed with my analysis and praised me for my concern.

Mr. Curley's spin is unbelievable and clearly contrived to misrepresent what I stated. Bruce, please get your facts straight and stop spinning this issue. We need unity in our town among the elected officials and the community; misrepresenting statements does more harm than good.

David Blais, Mount Airy

Town Council Member