Whew, I waited with baited breath for a response to my
comments and as usual I find hot air and side stepping to be the currency spent
in City Council meetings. I can just imagine them in their little office
debating how to handle it, how to respond and worse yet, trying to figure out
how it got out. The hand wringing and pushing the buck as to who would respond
to these “inaccurate remarks”, who would jump on the grenade?

Anonymous Blogger? Wow, I feel like Steve Martin in the
jerk.” I am somebody, see look, my name is in the phone book”. Wait, no one
uses the phone book anymore, they go on line. And, people go online to research
facts and look up other interesting things, like blow hard comments by elected
officials.

Here is a fact, the state has not determined what penalties
we will be handed for the i-Traffic debacle, but you can rest assured in this
economy, in a cash poor state, they can and will wring every cent possible in
fines and penalties. I will award ½ point to the Mayor for almost being honest.

As to the comment about General Fund monies not being spent,
you might want to rethink that statement Mayor. In fact, you might want to
compare notes with Jason the City Manager because that was a direct quote from
him. In that same statement he stated very clearly you went over-budget by
$100,000.00 and they had to trim the budget that amount. Yet again, city
workers can and will run their mouths out of school and you never know who is
listening. I will subtract ½ point for either being factually challenged or for
someone who reports to you being factually challenged.

On track and under budget? This comment was made with a
straight face while spending hard earned taxes on MARBLE. See how nicely he
sidestepped the fact they bought MARBLE for a questionable park that is
doubtful anyone will visit. Remember, the traffic isn’t stopping here because
of gas prices and being labeled a speed trap town. Marble people, when we
struggle to pay our taxes, water bills and sales taxes? I suggest we rename it “The
Hodges Memorial Garden” or better yet “The Ridgeland Monument to Wasteful
Spending of Taxpayers Money”

The Mayor and the City Council behind him continue to obfuscate
the facts here. Oh no, here comes another English lesson.

 Obfuscate: ˈäb-fə-ˌskāt
- transitive verb - is the concealment of intended meaning in communication,
making communication confusing, intentionally ambiguous, and more difficult to
interpret.

What you need to bear in mind my fellow taxpayers, Mayor
Hodges pointed out only three areas I was incorrect. If you recall, I have
pointed out more than a dozen things that are not being done properly or out-right
illegally. Also bear in mind I just refuted him and his comments with
statements of fact.

One final tidbit for you, I received a call from a city employee
the day after Labor Day and I was told there is a plan in the works to sell
bricks to the city people to inscribe the names of their fallen veterans on and
place somewhere around the “The Hodges Memorial Garden” for $100.00 a brick to
help cover the costs of the over-budget spending. You do the math. That’s a
whole lot of bricks. Who thought that up? What’s next a bake sale?

In closing, I would remind the Mayor not every person in
City Hall is your fan and most of them speak outside the confines of city hall.
Oh and a bonus thought. In my travels back and forth past City Hall (27 times
in the last week alone) there is only 1 time that I have not seen the tall
blond officer outside on the cellphone or simply smoking. Can’t we afford an
office for him and a regular landline to use? Oh yeah that’s right he’s on the
clock so it’s none of our business.  

I’m just saying