Archive for July 28, 2008
What To Expect When The Promises Flow
By Chuck Ring
Theodore Roosevelt writing in the “Outlook,” July 28,1900 used the words of Machiavelli to explain several political traits of the day. Those traits, it seems, have not slipped away and they are worth repeating in part: “It is necessary to be a great deceiver and hypocrite; for men are so simple and yield so readily to the wants of the moment that he who will trick shall always find another who will suffer himself to be tricked….” Of course we all see events through a different prism or kaleidescope and a deceptive politician will seldom admit to trickery or hypocrisy, just as the one tricked will not likely admit to being deceived.
Short-sightedness and downright poor judgment are old political faults. Edgewood has certainly seen its share of both faults and it appears that Edgewood’s present administration is setting the stage for a major blunder. During a recent council meeting, the mayor championed a course of action that ultimately resulted in the governing body voting to assume the library which has for the past 17 or so years, operated with a volunteer board. During the previous 8 or 9 years, the Town of Edgewood has subsidized the library’s operation starting with a $500.00 a month stipend and growing to over $20,000.00 a year until the town agreed to cause the library to be a public library. I for one, stood in support of the library becoming a public library; however, I cautioned the mayor and the councilors against rushing to finalize the action until an inspection of the soundness and adaptability of the current library building could be made. I particularly drew their attention to the possibility that the building might not meet the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act. As unfortunate circumstances would have it, the town’s code enforcement officer inspected the building and determined that there were some forty deficiencies and that under the building’s present condition the town should consider rectifying the problems. Two members of the governing body seemed to downplay the importance of the deficiencies, one of which centered on the faulty wheelchair ramp. The mayor made a statement regarding wheelchair maneuverability inside the building, in effect stating that those in wheelchairs would favor using the computers and access to the remainder of the library might not be critical. »» What To Expect When The Promises Flow