Before It Drinks the Kool-Aid!
That's the thought that went through my mind at last night's Utica Common Council caucus meeting when the subject of the North Utica Interceptor easement came up.
The hoped for weighing of the issues turned into listening to invited guest Mr. DiMeo's rosy predictions of the benefits of their approval of the project. No one was asked to present the other side.
Listeners seemed to take solace in the fact that Utican's make up only 49% of the sewer district's rate-base, rather than the 70% earlier reported, without inquiring as to what those numbers really mean. (Utica's population of 62,000 is still more than half of the sewer district's estimate of 110,000 population served).
While it may be comforting for councilpersons to believe that the new pipeline will lead to hundreds of good-paying jobs at "Quad C" and the Marcy NanoCenter, they failed to even entertain the more likely outcome that they have just approved a pipeline that will
(1) Be heavily financed by Utica rate-payers along with rate-increases to finance corresponding expansions of the treatment-plant itself,
(2) Increase the cost of doing business within the City of Utica,
(3) Give the gift of access to public sewers to large areas north of the Mohawk River (I.e., Marcy, Deerfield, Trenton) at no cost to developers there,
(4) Devalue all properties in Utica because access to public-sewers in the suburbs will become common
(5) Lead to the exodus of more Uticans for the suburbs, making it even more difficult for their City to finance even basic municipal services.
The Council has unwittingly driven a nail into Utica's coffin.
6 comments:
The Utica government is not just broken, it is counterproductive. All county taxpayers should be outraged with Mr. DiMeo's venture into county business. I say show us the tenants and then we will discuss this sewer travesty going forward with no tenants for the Field of Dreams, I mean Nightmares. There is no doubt that it is over for our once proud city. To all of the unfortunate taxpayers left in the city, RUN, while you can.
After listening to Majority Leader Meola on the radio the other day, I think we're at the point of just throwing our hands up, letting the city go bankrupt and hoping that the people will finally wake up and let intelligent people pick up the pieces.
With his lack of ability to even speak proper English, and lack of understanding of the process, it's useless. I say just give up, strap yourself in and hope to survive the storm that's coming.
I also note the comparison with the Syracuse Mayor giving her state of the city speech and our politicians. It is as night and day in thougth and the spoken word. We are simply a not very intelligent area.
Anonymous... there is no thought here... just the "elite" that distributes the spoils, and the hangers-on who hope to get a piece of the action.
I expected such behavior from older members of legislative bodies, but not the younger. The fact that the younger are now parroting the nonsense too without questions suggests the "success" of our education system in molding a compliant citizenry that responds to "rewards" like Pavlov's dogs. There is no way out now other than via total collapse.
The worst part is the fact that we're stuck with this bunch for 4 years. Of course, that's if the electorate wakes up & throws the council out of office, which is what they deserve. The city is run by a bunch of corrupt oppurtunists which has been shown time & again with GroWest, UCAI, the UCSD construction scandal, HUD & on & on.
If it weren't for the massive tax hikes which will come if the State comes in & takes over, I'd be all for the idea. But then again it may be the answer if only to wrest control of the city away from the bandits who have destroyed this City with their corruption & greed.
It's not only the Utica administration that needs to go it is also the Oneida County government that MUST be replaced.
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