Remember when the sophisticates east of us used to laugh at the goings on in Suffolk; I think many still do after the second performance of our council discussing the operating budget. It was no different than the first go-around, six members all but pleading with the city manager to get them off the hook with their constituents. Mr. Milteer came the closest to demanding a recount but the other five ended their plea for a tax rate reduction with a caveat, only if you can do so without hurting life styles of Suffolkians, whatever that might mean. (Mr. Brown says it so well) Well how about the life styles of those paying through the nose to keep Mr. Herbert’s desires alive? Many think the best thing Council can do is resign en mass and let the chips fall where they may.

It’s really six to two with Ralph holding with the Manager. What about the six getting together and DEMANDING that there be a ten percent cut in projections except for the people involved with our safety? No more pussyfooting around, just do it. Better yet would be to put some brave souls, other than council members, in a room armed with line item vetoes. This mamby-pamby stuff about cutting one percent, maybe two, makes my skin crawl. If a family were laying out $2000 per year for property taxes it would save

$20 and that wouldn’t fill a gas tank. Council members speak of constituents hurting, then relieving their pain with two tens. Sometimes I think they are diagonally parked in a parallel universe.

By the time this gets printed it may all be over…six members bowing down to Herbert and his steadfast compatriot who has a way of talking out of both sides of his mouth. I can live with it and the six can say they almost really, really tried but that nasty manager would have none of it. The seven are supposed to be the CEO of Suffolk, not lap dogs. They insist on defending the whopping appropriation suggested by the school superintendent without so much as look at the curriculum or the amount of assistants who opted from teaching If this budget flies, you can get ready for the next round and the King will wear the Suffolk championship belt a long time.

Anyone who has been in business more than a few years has lived through tougher times than this. They did it by cutting costs, hammer and tong cost reduction. That’s how you survive financial crisis, that’s what a lot of citizens have to do right now in light of what is happening downtown. But it doesn’t seem to occur to Council that it is serious business for many of their constituents. You can’t help them with half trying. Compare their income with some salaried city employees who manage to get raises every year. You don’t have to be 65 to be on fixed income, or very limited income and you can’t get any tax relief if you are 64. A substantial tax rate decrease is essential for them. And a line item budget overhauling would be well within city means. I’ll take a crack at it and I’m sure I can get some help. Perhaps even from council members like Milteer.

How does it grab you when the Cultural Center that siphoned off a great deal of your money lays out big bucks to hire someone to direct it. Up until that moment it was the effort of several citizens with lofty ideals. Then they opened the city wallet. I know, the only culture I have must be controlled with antibiotics…but what comes to my mind about purloined millions is &uot;easy come, easy go.&uot; And I hear that our fine little museum will now fall under the control of our Tourist Department. Say it ain’t true. If it is will Parks and Recreation be next?

As for the matter of us electing the mayor instead of allowing council their annual game of monopoly. &uot;It’s my turn, you had it last time.&uot; Again the mayor speaks with forked tongue, presenting the negative side of the equation only. That’s all right…none of them are important, mostly red herrings. It’s not difficult to get Commonwealth permission. It’s not difficult to move the election to November and tie it in with all the others races. It’s known that mostly only knowledgeable and caring persons will vote and those same folks are likely to vote for brains, not necessarily their own borough leader. They might want a mayor that is not in bed with the city manager. Let’s give it a shot.

The dream is alive for the good folks downtown, they will save the aging dinosaur at any cost to the people outside the undetermined boundaries of the village. At least it is their hope that somehow that ever-increasing flow of money (the city has already hired another assistant manager) will restore the glory they think was at one time there. Downtown will never collectively do as much retail business in a week as Walmart does in a day. But downtown will become a nice place for those who live there. A cozy warm village with all the amenities needed for a fancy lifestyle. The Cultural Center, assuming city largess through subsidies, will provide every form of the arts including chamber music and poetry reading. Everyone there will have a sense of community, as they do now while pilfering money from the pockets of those who financially will be forced to abstain from participation. I am basing these remarks solely on the statements of the pro-tax group supporting the budget at the last council meeting. They have much to gain.

Robert Pocklington lives in Suffolk and is a regular News-Herald columnist. He can be reached at robert.pocklington@suffolknewsherald.com