You choose to jerk other’s chains – - and yet have a record of achievement, they leave your chain alone and call you:

Mayor Bob.

He is at the helm of a huge supertanker. One that has been low on fuel for years.

Back in ’87, we off-loaded part of the diesel fuel to propel the tanker when the county dropped the mill levy from close to 28 mills down to 13 or 11 in return for voters approving a replacement sales and use tax. This is kind of like ‘betting on the come’ and the come never got here. The idea was that super low taxes would bring in so many new companies, homebuilders would be hard pressed to keep up with demand and we would all be in the land of milk and honey from the huge increase in sales tax revenues.

Since that time, each and every Board of County Commissioners continually, repeatedly, and as often as possible – in every conceivable venue: tell us how much service the people of El Paso County receives for less than half, or one fourth of what other counties get in revenue.

True. We get a lot. But, we are not being the whole story. We are able to pay the mortgage but we cannot afford to replace the roof when it needs it and we do not have enough money to send the kids to college or get their teeth fixed.

Now 80% of those on council – - and the mayor are in office as they ran on ‘low-tax/notax’ platforms. And guess what, we do not have the money to meet the long term backlog of needs that have been building up! People everywhere from Austin to Ottuma recognize this is an area in decline and are not moving here.

All this ‘excess revenue’ that could be used if we cut expenses. I think there is somewhere between 25 and 35 million a year to be had if that were the case but there is nothing being done on a joint basis to do the research needed to make it happen.

So yes, he may have cause to be mad. But then, as the captain of the ship – he has the demeanor and tact of a rancid head of cabbage. And a PR staff that should have been fired three days after reporting for duty.

At some point – I would think we as a community may have to realize we have been living on the cheap for years – it has not brought the boom but it has developed into a bust.

So now, what do we do? Go broke or find the savings that has been talked about or maybe do a combo thing:

Get the savings research underway (more than just talk) and work with the public to see if we might be willing to pay that little extra it takes to save the magnificent area we all enjoy – - and are seeing deteriorate?

As far as the Mayor being mad, quitting is always an option.