Not This Time
Oh, boy. Here we go again.
The latest CRVA scandal has reached the all-too-familiar stage where we now hear our elected representatives start to publicly proclaim how “unsatisfied” they are or how they’re going to “give this a hard look” and demand some “answers.”
We’ve been down this road before with so many past scandals – each one fading away from the public awareness as soon as the next Government Center outrage takes center stage. It’s as predictable as the sunset. And it’s precisely what the uptown power brokers depend upon for their survival and the retention of their precious death grip on the control panel of local government.
We’ve obviously listened and trusted them every time they’ve arranged to have the wizard advise us to “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” Works every time.
Unresolved issues like Marcus Jackson’s personnel file, the illusion of security at Jerry Orr’s airport, or Police Chief Rodney Monroe’s empty promises to resolve his unearned diploma embarrassment, and a host of other similar matters are all now notably absent from the media and conversations around the water cooler. I can almost hear the snickers from behind the closed doors of uptown boardrooms. It’s truly a disgrace.
This time, Charlotteans deserve much more than another repeat of official statements of dissatisfaction, hard looks and glossy, prepackaged “answers.”
What’s really needed is a core change in the culture of deception, collusion and corruption which permeates the rarified air behind the closed doors of Government Center, Charlotte Center City Partners, Foundation for the Carolinas, the CRVA, the City and County Manager’s offices, and on and on.
Yes, the public deserves transparency — something it seems we seldom even a catch a glimpse of around here. But more than the usual manipulation by official PR and damage control, and another predictable, feel-good promise to revise some policy or other in the future, Charlotteans deserve and should finally demand ACCOUNTABILITY and an end to the bloated salaries, golden parachute pensions, and “mutual protection society” of some of our so-called public servants.
Especially in this economy, can we really afford an annual salary of $305,000-plus for CRVA chief Tim Newman’s repeated foul-smelling, carnival-level integrity and sheisterism? How does Mr. Newman justify his 24/7 raid on taxpayer funds? By keeping two sets of books for the NASCAR Museum so he and his uptown cronies can bolster public support for this boondoggle on false pretenses and work the strings of our government officials like puppet masters? By blatantly organizing and approving of what smells like kickbacks to a CRVA employee, who serves as a contact person for our elected representatives?
No, thank you, Tim. Kindly peddle your snake oil somewhere else. We need to lobby our representatives to call for Tim Newman’s immediate resignation, along the minimization of any bonuses and perks he’s certain to try and grab for himself as he exits — and let that set an example for the rest of those in the uptown country club set who seem far more committed to self service than to public service.
More than just the money (which we don’t have), so much is at stake here, including what’s left of the rapidly eroding public confidence in our local government and those who are supposed to be representing us.
No, not this time. Another whitewash report from another meeting held behind the closed doors of the Convention Center or Government Center just won’t hold water this time around.
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Special to Pundit House
©2011 Wayne Powers. Used by permission.
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