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Today's Poll!Council looks to address public trust in government
Sunday, August 12, 2012
A recent controversy over a city administrator’s e-mail to city staff has revealed a growing lack of trust in Jefferson City government, but officials, or those who see an issue, are unsure of how to address the problem.
Fourth Ward Councilwoman Carrie Carroll said the comments she received amid the debate over City Administrator Nathan Nickolaus’ e-mail to city staff on Proposition 2 showed a credibility problem and lack of trust.
“I don’t like the direction we’re going,” Carroll said. “The public has lost trust and is upset with us.”
“How can we overcome that trust issue ... I don’t know how to solve that.”
Carroll said those were the reasons behind her vote of no confidence in Nickolaus at a special council meeting Friday. She said there are issues with city leadership and important decisions need to be made.
“I think there are some problems with the leadership,” Carroll said. “I’ve lost the trust from people.”
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Comments
JCsleeper 9 months, 1 week ago
Gonna take some doing. Can't be shifting funds like a shell game - JCFD sales tax email and ambulance property tax that went to public safety. Stop giving away tax dollars to pets and their projects. Stick with basic city services.
gettingthere 9 months, 1 week ago
Trust is not lost overnight. There have been audible and visual cracks in the system for years. Comments from the council regarding annexation and taxes to JeffTran and movement of citywide mulch site, have angered residents for years. No one wanted to believe or listen to the voters back then, seems a bit rich to put all this on Nickolaus' head now. Granted Nickolaus has been intregal in many of these meetings and decisions, but why is he the only one being investigated? I bet if the council were really serious about "restoring trust" they should the honest thing...apologize and ask for forgiveness for violating our trust in the first place.
Doubtful any politician will understand that last sentence.
gettingthere 9 months, 1 week ago
Thank you Councilman Pope for apologizing, and refocusing your political career - to your constituents.
Although I am not in your Ward - I accept your apology.
Councilwoman Carroll???
tonto_goldberg 9 months, 1 week ago
To be trusted, a person or a group must be trustworthy. Apparently that concept is not an easy one to understand, let alone practice. The citizens' trust in the city council was lost because of things the council did, things they said, things they hid, and things they dissembled about. The council lost that trust all by themselves. You don't overcome that lack of trust by telling more stories or by moaning about how people "just don't trust us" any more.
Nathan Nickloaus had nothing to do with the loss of that trust - it was going away long before he came on the scene. Councilwoman Carroll has things kind of backwards in my opinion. Someone steps up and tells the truth, and one of the people responsible for the loss of trust wants to blame the truth teller.
A couple of resignations would be a good start, and not by staff people.
Gotigers 9 months, 1 week ago
I appreciate Councilwoman Carroll's comments. I also agree that Mr. Nicklaus was not the reason for mistrust, it happend over a period of time. If you are serious about gaining people's trust then: 1) Stop collecting the ambulance tax of which the city does not provide 2) Stop annexing area's until you plan to hire extra police, fire and snowplows for the area. People are smart-- we can tell when it is a moneygrab. 3) Hold people accountable for their actions. When Mr. Lockwood gets caught taking gas and Mr. Rassmaussen is found passed out in a car it is our tax $$ who are supporting them. 4) Listen to the voters- a 'NO' vote means 'NO'. 5) Finally, remember that the citizens are the reason we have the government. Most everyone in town can tell you of a poor experience with the city wether it's gaining approval for a project or the parking police uptown.
Just my humble thoughts.
JCLifer 9 months, 1 week ago
Additional public money for a convention center is getting pretty raw these days. You got the lodging tax, now find private investors to fill in the rest. We don't need to subsidize a money loser like the convention center with any more public dollars. The lodging tax is all we are gonna approve to be spent on this.
spelchek 9 months, 1 week ago
Don't force us to pay for something that the majority were purchasing in the first place (responsible citizens) in the name of going green (glass wasn't included in the forced recycling, why?). Moreover, I already separated my rubbish and recycled to begin with (responsible citizen). Stop muscling business to gain revenues via forced annexation, makes you look like a bully; and we all know that nobody likes a bully nor wants to be around one. Lobby the State to expedite their ridiculous study on being absolute last in pay (just might be part of the problem) so we have more money to spend in our fair city (assuming someone else doesn't need our money more than us). On a positive note, JC has been pretty good about infrastructure upkeep and improvements for the money that is available.
MO4LIFE 9 months, 1 week ago
in the nicer neighborhoods only!!!!!!!
spelchek 9 months, 1 week ago
The east side has been the red headed step child for years and I see plenty of work being done on E. McCarty not to mention the Lafayette work.
JCLifer 9 months, 1 week ago
They have been working on East McCarty for almost a year, and they still are not done! The weather has been great all winter and all summer. Looks like only one guy is doing all the work. Why does this take so long? Can't they get a real crew out there and get this work finished right away? What is going on here with the contractor milking the project forever? Last I heard it won't be finished until December...
spelchek 9 months, 1 week ago
It is a pain, agreed. But at least it's getting done. I drove to Chicago in 2009 and all along I-55 as you were getting into the city were signs showing off the stimulus (shovel ready jobs) that had just passed Congress. However, not a crew in sight and the road literally had splits in it so large I was afraid of the damage they would create if I changed lanes. All show, and no go. To the contrary, I saw the same signs here in town and the MO Blvd interchange was done in months!!! IL is the left armpit of the US. and New Jersey is the right.
JCLifer 9 months, 1 week ago
Agree about getting done. It will be very nice, and should have been done years ago. Now the heat will be on the property owners (used car lots, auto shops, A-1, etc. to clean up their acts as they will be about the only things keeping that area so nasty looking.
Can't believe we elected a Chicago poltician for president. Then he went and picked a Chicago school superintendent to run the country's department of education. Chicago has some of the worst schools in the nation- and they hired ol' Arnie to run the Fed Education dept? Guess it could be worse here-- a lot worse...
rodinman 9 months, 1 week ago
Want trust from the citizens? Start by giving us a detailed five year financial plan, department by department. Show us what they have accomplished in the last two years, what major projects and purchases are planned. Show us how much money is collected, how it is collected, and how it is allocated. How much money is in reserve and if it is earmarked then what it is earmarked for, the timeline for that earmark and the corresponding legal authority. Eliminate unnecessary expenditures -- CVB, lobbyists, (it's as short walk from city hall to the capitol), admin work for Mo American water, bill collection for Allied Waste, etc.
dokeus6 9 months, 1 week ago
That would be called Transparency
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