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The public speaksOpen letter to Councilman Daniel Rickenmann

Response to City Issues Survey

By Warner M. Montgomery

I appreciate your attempt to survey your constituents via the City Issues Survey I received in the mail. Rather than complete it with the severely limited responses made available, I would like respond more publicly.

#1. Columbia should have a strong innovative mayor who realizes the value of the taxpayers’ money and the importance of individual liberty. The form of government is less important.

#2-3. Homelessness is only a problem if you (or we) allow it to be. If city government pampers bums and panhandlers, they will come. Wherever charitable organizations feed, clothe, and house those without, they will appear. Tolerance and good will are one thing, building a community of homeless people is another. You don’t want them in your restaurants, I don’t want them in my neighborhood.

#4. I have never met a government that spends its money in an efficient and effective manner. Columbia taxes restaurant customers because it can. The money is used by politicians to get more votes. That said, I do believe city taxpayers should support roads, sewer, law enforcement, courts, and traffic control.

#5. A Multi–government entertainment and sports facility?! The better question is why should these governments even consider such a thing. Look around. There is plenty of entertainment and sports being provided by non–government organizations. Most such government facilities are nothing more than holes in which tax money disappears.

#6. The Columbia Star reports every week on the use of city, county, and federal funds being wasted in our area. Any time government spends tax money, there are questions. That is the purpose of a free press in a free country. We would do a better job if the elected officials were more open. As you now know, city council members are good people, but they do as much as they can to keep what they do outside of the public meetings a secret. If there were no Freedom of Information Law, there would be very little information available to the public.

#7. The City of Columbia is facing a fork in the road. Will it continue to try to please everyone or will it return to its original mission? Will it continue to tax and spend or will it become, as you say, efficient and effective? Will it continue to try to direct development or will it allow the public to forge its own course? Will it continue to micro–manage the affairs of its citizens or will it take the high road?

I hope this helps, Daniel. Keep up the good work.