In Saturday's newspaper under the "Letter to The Editor," there were statements made which were incorrect, biased and inappropriate. Ms. Hintzman tried to use her editorial skills to mask her true thoughts and to discredit me in a form of questions to you, the readers.
Here are the facts:
Opening Statement: "Journalistic integrity." If she had done her homework, she would have found out that the Times allowed each candidate to submit one article for publication.
Hidden Agendas: It would be nice to know what we are hiding and from whom. Maybe those "many and many" individuals who are thinking we are should spend more time attending committee and council meetings. They may then realize the truth and not what the good old boy network wants them to believe.
Fulltime Mayor/Administrator: By necessity I, with the approval of the Common Council and by Wisconsin State Status, has functioned as both a Mayor and a City Administrator. This dual role has resulted in putting in countless hours, while being compensated as a part-time Mayor.
Upon the termination of our past Administrator, your Common Council, Department Heads and Mayor all stepped up to fill that void. We work as a team to make Monroe a better place to work, live and raise a family.
Your Mayor has no designs to become a full-time Mayor or City Administrator.
Illegal Actions: Anyone can request any information that can be made public. The City of Monroe has in the past, and will continue to respond to any request for information regarding this city, in a timely fashion.
Alderpersons can request any information from any department at city hall, at any time. However, the alderpersons agreed that a chain of commands needs to be followed. That way we are not duplicating services, which is costly to our citizens.
The exception is when information is of a sensitive nature. All that information is passed through the city's informational officer. This at the present time happens to be the Mayor's office.
Audits 2007/2008: The city changed its whole accounting system in the fall of 2007. The conversion of data from one system to another was the main reason for the delays.
The delay in the completion of the audits did not create any financial hardships or penalties to the city.
When asked about the audits, individuals were only told they were not done. The city auditors have done an exemplary job in the completion of those audits.
Halting Construction: Is she referring to the steps on the north side of the Square? That issue was brought back to the Public Works Committee for approval. If we didn't address that issue immediately, it would have caused a delay in the whole project. This corrective action by the city resolved in no cost to the city.
If she is referring to the starting of the project, this city won't start any project until we know it can be paid for.
Processing of Minutes: The Salary and Personal Committee has already addressed this issue. They set a deadline, which has been met. All future minutes will be done as required. This department, in 2008, lost two employees which created the delay in processing the minutes.
Changes by the Common Council: Any approval of any item, by any committee, can be changed by the Common Council.
Taxes: We all were affected by the failure of our national financial institutions. We were no exception. We paid our property taxes, the interest due and the interest penalty.
Administrator position: Your Salary and Personal Committee has been actively trying to fill that position. They have taken their role in do so seriously. They know how important it is have someone running and operating our city on a daily basis. It would take three or four pages to spell out all they have done.
Citizens of Monroe and unanswered questions: We, over the last four years, have been totally open to the public. I have meet with countless individuals at city hall, we have developed a monthly newsletter, we encourage citizens to attend all of our meetings, and we hold town hall meetings monthly.
Who gets credit: If you listen to what is said and read what is written you will notice the words we, they, us, administration, department heads, and common council. We operate as a team, not an individual.
This is not the only time Ms. Hintzman has criticized your city leaders unjustly, and without merit. It is time for you the citizens of Monroe to stand up against the erosion of your city government for the benefit of a few. Now is the time to say enough is enough.
This election is not about me. It is about you, It is about where you want your city and yourself to be two years from now. It is about who you want to lead you into the future.
This administration has a proven track record. We have kept our promises to you. We have set goals for the future of Monroe and have an action plans in place. We are where progress begins.
Please vote on April 6.
Here are the facts:
Opening Statement: "Journalistic integrity." If she had done her homework, she would have found out that the Times allowed each candidate to submit one article for publication.
Hidden Agendas: It would be nice to know what we are hiding and from whom. Maybe those "many and many" individuals who are thinking we are should spend more time attending committee and council meetings. They may then realize the truth and not what the good old boy network wants them to believe.
Fulltime Mayor/Administrator: By necessity I, with the approval of the Common Council and by Wisconsin State Status, has functioned as both a Mayor and a City Administrator. This dual role has resulted in putting in countless hours, while being compensated as a part-time Mayor.
Upon the termination of our past Administrator, your Common Council, Department Heads and Mayor all stepped up to fill that void. We work as a team to make Monroe a better place to work, live and raise a family.
Your Mayor has no designs to become a full-time Mayor or City Administrator.
Illegal Actions: Anyone can request any information that can be made public. The City of Monroe has in the past, and will continue to respond to any request for information regarding this city, in a timely fashion.
Alderpersons can request any information from any department at city hall, at any time. However, the alderpersons agreed that a chain of commands needs to be followed. That way we are not duplicating services, which is costly to our citizens.
The exception is when information is of a sensitive nature. All that information is passed through the city's informational officer. This at the present time happens to be the Mayor's office.
Audits 2007/2008: The city changed its whole accounting system in the fall of 2007. The conversion of data from one system to another was the main reason for the delays.
The delay in the completion of the audits did not create any financial hardships or penalties to the city.
When asked about the audits, individuals were only told they were not done. The city auditors have done an exemplary job in the completion of those audits.
Halting Construction: Is she referring to the steps on the north side of the Square? That issue was brought back to the Public Works Committee for approval. If we didn't address that issue immediately, it would have caused a delay in the whole project. This corrective action by the city resolved in no cost to the city.
If she is referring to the starting of the project, this city won't start any project until we know it can be paid for.
Processing of Minutes: The Salary and Personal Committee has already addressed this issue. They set a deadline, which has been met. All future minutes will be done as required. This department, in 2008, lost two employees which created the delay in processing the minutes.
Changes by the Common Council: Any approval of any item, by any committee, can be changed by the Common Council.
Taxes: We all were affected by the failure of our national financial institutions. We were no exception. We paid our property taxes, the interest due and the interest penalty.
Administrator position: Your Salary and Personal Committee has been actively trying to fill that position. They have taken their role in do so seriously. They know how important it is have someone running and operating our city on a daily basis. It would take three or four pages to spell out all they have done.
Citizens of Monroe and unanswered questions: We, over the last four years, have been totally open to the public. I have meet with countless individuals at city hall, we have developed a monthly newsletter, we encourage citizens to attend all of our meetings, and we hold town hall meetings monthly.
Who gets credit: If you listen to what is said and read what is written you will notice the words we, they, us, administration, department heads, and common council. We operate as a team, not an individual.
This is not the only time Ms. Hintzman has criticized your city leaders unjustly, and without merit. It is time for you the citizens of Monroe to stand up against the erosion of your city government for the benefit of a few. Now is the time to say enough is enough.
This election is not about me. It is about you, It is about where you want your city and yourself to be two years from now. It is about who you want to lead you into the future.
This administration has a proven track record. We have kept our promises to you. We have set goals for the future of Monroe and have an action plans in place. We are where progress begins.
Please vote on April 6.
