Be the change
Returning from a two-week vacation, the first thing I did was pick up the Herald to see how our town fared in the storms. I saw that there was another storm brewing on the bottom of Page 4.
A letter writer whined for six columns about the proposal to reduce city salaries and the alleged poor planning by the City Council and the mayor.
I have a suggestion for the letter writer: Please do something instead of just complain. Talk to Councilmember Tom Campbell. He is known as the fiscal guy on the Council, and perhaps he can explain to you about how there is not a lot of discretionary money once all the mandates are paid and how the city budget actually works. Or you could relieve some of the burden you mentioned on city staff by volunteering at the library. Or you could apply to work on a committee or commission, where a great deal of expertise is shared and presented to the council to provide citizen input.
Why don’t you lead a positive campaign to get a number of citizens to help out in some way? Maybe head the charge to clean up a flooded area in Benicia? Or establish a group of people who would be willing to do a study of some of the budgetary mandates by the county or state and see if any of those can be reduced? Or start an effort to work to see if a plan can be devised to increase revenue from Amports? Or listen to the entrepreneurs in the Industrial Park and find out what they need and how to get it and then help them make a presentation to the Council.
Quit whipping up storms and get some sunshine in the newspaper over your ever present name.
Susan Street,
Benicia
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Susan Street just the facts. As a resident all I do is write a LTTE as it is. Yes I do talk to many city employees and in fact I did just talk to Tom Campbell the other day. I am up on the issues this city is facing. Apparently you are not. I suggest you tell the residents how this financial issue is going to be solved. Ragging on Bob Livesay who states the facts will not solve this issue. Your ragging is personal issue with me. Start worrying about this fine city as I do. It is very apparent the mayor/council know the issue. You do not. Get your head out of the sand and get your facts first then I can have a conversation with you.. I have no time for folks that do not understand the issues. They are there. Just take a look. I am way ahead of you about all the issues you state. Are you? .Action is being taken and no help from you Susan.
Susan I think you do not understand that I am a voice and that in it self is a major contribution to the residence. I do not complain you do. Do you know what it will take to do a tax on AmPorts and the Cannabis issue? I do and you do not. I am well informed and you are not. So get some facts and we can have a very pleasdant conversation on the issues. You will hear more from “The Voice Bob The Owl Livesay”. Get use to it.
Thank you for your breath of fresh air and comment, Susan, Bob Livesay can only rudely defend himself by demeaning others, we’ve heard his carping on these pages ’til the cows come home. I’ll take your contributions to this city any day of the week over his. NOTE how his attempted demeanment of others follows the same sad model as “Celebrity Apprentice” Donald Trump (Not My President), a bullying game they never outgrew apparently from grade school. Sad and unfortunate. Keep smiling as Joel Fallon often told us all, despite the Global Warming weather denied by the Apprentice and a few others. Our challenges are many, you’ve outlined a few! THANKS! pb
Thanks for the compliment Peter. Comparing me to Susan makes her look bad. The Voice of the Owl will never be silenced. I will continue to do a service that far out distanced her contribution which I know there are some.
Interesting letter, Susan. Did you ever find out who the “letter writer” was? Or, were they anonymous?
T P read the comments and my LTTE on 3-15-17 and you would know, Very easy to understand that.
My apologies, however, I’m probably not going to get around to that. I’m just hoping Susan might answer.