Richmond Mayor is not the problem

Connie Lawson had dreams of correcting many wrong things, and bringing new industry to our town. She was too naive in how to deal with the miscreant criminals we have elected into authority.

Look at politics around here. Bill Strong and Mike Brewer sitting up there receiving fat pay checks were once in cahoots with Ed Worley in a extortion scheme against local businesses while they were elected officials. But somehow, they have all been able to gain re-election into the same or better positions than they held when they were caught red handed. So either we can assume that they have somehow regained favor with the people, through whatever means, or that the people of Richmond are complete and total fools.

I have read lately of the upcoming lay offs the city may have to do, or the pay cuts to the city employees. Now I ask, does this make any sense at all? To cut the pay, or lay off the very people that are actually doing the work? How about the Commissioners follow Connie Lawson's lead and not take a pay check for their work at this time. Connie has not taken a pay check for being our Mayor, instead she donates her time to try and better Richmond. So I suggest that all the Commissioners donate their time to the city, and let the working people for the city continue to do their jobs. In that way the people costing the most and doing the least help the city out of the trouble it is in.
Look at the 300 plus thousand dollars paid for brush pick up. Why would anyone hire him or anyone else to pick up brush? Do we not have city employees on the payroll that could do that very thing? Could we not route other city employees to the road crews to help with this effort and not have had to pay this crook? How about using the National Guard, off duty police and fire workers. There are many who could have helped in this that are already being paid by the city. But no, our leaders choose to pay their friends and family an unbelievable amount of money to do the work, then they did not do it themselves, they went to the jail and got inmates out of jail to do the actual work.
So lets we the people complain until something is done. Have the City Attorney File charges and begin proceedings to recoup our 300 thousand plus dollars. And Bill Strong, I know you real well, and I know you are not a complete idiot. So don't tell me when you saw that bill from your son in law you did not think it was OUTRAGEOUS! It was picking up brush Bill.... Downed tree limbs!!! We are not stupid either Bill.
So lets stop the pay for all elected officials until the problem has corrected itself. And if they want to recuse themselves from their positions, then someone else can take their place.
Stop hiring people to do work when we have people on payroll already. Look in the Clerks Office, Court House, City Hall, Garbage Workers, Policemen, Fire Department, Street Department, Sanitation, Parks Dept, Custodians, Social Workers, and yes City Commissioners. Anyone that receives a paycheck from the city could have been called into service removing brush. And if they did not want to, then they could quit also. After the disaster they could be replaced with new people.
I am thinking we need all these things, and we need them fast. So how about we stop pissing and moaning about how bad of shape we are in and fix the damn problems. And remember as an example, just because you are a city Commissioner or even the Chief of Police, that does not mean you don't ever have to ride the street sweeper, cause if that guy is sick, and you still are paid by our city, you damn well may be called to service.

Connie Lawson "for free" is still not worth the price.

And how much money is it going to cost the city to fight this 12 million dollar RV lawsuit? As if Allen Grant and Mike Eaves need more money, but why stick it to us taxpayers right now?

The truth is, no matter how good her intentions are, Connie Lawson is in over her head. She's not equipped to be the executive of a city. The proof are in the results.

Truth wrote:

The truth is, no matter how good her intentions are, Connie Lawson is in over her head. She's not equipped to be the executive of a city. The proof are in the results.

Correct. And for the record, Richmond has not had a Mayor for several terms now. All we get are wannabes.

"Stop hiring people to do work when we have people on payroll already. Look in the Clerks Office, Court House, City Hall, Garbage Workers, Policemen, Fire Department, Street Department, Sanitation, Parks Dept, Custodians, Social Workers, and yes City Commissioners. Anyone that receives a paycheck from the city could have been called into service removing brush. And if they did not want to, then they could quit also. After the disaster they could be replaced with new people.
I am thinking we need all these things, and we need them fast. So how about we stop pissing and moaning about how bad of shape we are in and fix the damn problems. And remember as an example, just because you are a city Commissioner or even the Chief of Police, that does not mean you don't ever have to ride the street sweeper, cause if that guy is sick, and you still are paid by our city, you damn well may be called to service"


You are exactly right on this. Get these people we already pay off their lazy butts and work them. They get paid, they can do the work.

And I agree, after paying the Strong family a welfare payment of $354,000.00 there better not be no damn pay cuts or lay offs. Wanna crash this city, then do something stupid like that.

I agree, when you have people on the payroll, you work them first then you call for help. To allow your paid people to sit on their butts and pay friends and family an outrageous amount of money for little work is generally called embezzlement.

What is wrong with the elected officials?? HAve they lost their minds??? Do they really think you people are this stupid????

It's time for a change. And I do not mean wait for the election and vote them out. There must be a provision for who would run the town if something happened to the Mayor and Commission. So throw their asses out in the street. Let whoever move up into those positions and lead the town till election day.

Anything is better than what you got now.

Stop the madness. Rebel on the leaders and put them out of office today! Set their things in the street and tell them they are no longer in office. Tell them we have had enough.

Connie is great

How about that wrote:

Look at the 300 plus thousand dollars paid for brush pick up. Why would anyone hire him or anyone else to pick up brush? Do we not have city employees on the payroll that could do that very thing? Could we not route other city employees to the road crews to help with this effort and not have had to pay this crook? How about using the National Guard, off duty police and fire workers. There are many who could have helped in this that are already being paid by the city. But no, our leaders choose to pay their friends and family an unbelievable amount of money to do the work, then they did not do it themselves, they went to the jail and got inmates out of jail to do the actual work.

This logic is just dumb on so many levels. So you are saying that just because a person is paid by the city that they are thereby required to jump and respond to any off-the-wall request that the city would ask of them? No.

Just like you and me, they get job descriptions when they are hired for whatever position they do. Sorry but you can't call up a city judge and say "hey you need to come down here and help us clean up this brush pile or you're fired". They would just laugh and hang up and if someone was dumb enough to actually attempt to fire them after that they would get the largest wrongful termination award ever. Now they could always ask "would you be willing to help?" but its not very reasonable.

Now yeah they rushed that all and probably could have done things better but it was done as an emergency status. The road crews should have been used but I don't think they could cover the ground that was needed. Use the National Guard? That would have been the nicest option (at least for Richmond, not the Guard lol) but I don't think the city actually can make that call as to ordering them to clean brush that is already on the side of the streets. Besides, didn't it take a couple weeks just to get the Guard and federal aid here in KY?

I don't know where you work, but in the factory I work in, and everywhere else I know of, you do what the boss says you do. So yes, if I was Mayor, and I sent word to a city employee of something he or she needed to do and they did not immediately do it, they would be fired immediately.

Job description my ass. Your job description is to do as your told.

Truth wrote:

The truth is, no matter how good her intentions are, Connie Lawson is in over her head. She's not equipped to be the executive of a city. The proof are in the results.

If our mayor knew anything at all about the city's true financial situation, how in the world can she justify the $1000 per year pay increase for all city employees that she pushed for? Remember, the original budget called for $500 per year for everyone but she did not feel that was sufficient. So it was raised to $1000. Did this not go in effect 7-1-09? If it did, I wonder how she feels now that a 5% reduction for everyone has been proposed. And layoffs??? She should be extremely embarrassed for being so out of touch.

Bud wrote:

I don't know where you work, but in the factory I work in, and everywhere else I know of, you do what the boss says you do. So yes, if I was Mayor, and I sent word to a city employee of something he or she needed to do and they did not immediately do it, they would be fired immediately.
Job description my ass. Your job description is to do as your told.

Then it is your fault for being a push-over. I handle the technology department for the company work in and if they came to me and told me I had to clean the bathrooms I'd laugh at them and walk away. Let them try to punish you or fire you. As long as you have an employee contract and it has any sort of job description on it (i've never seen on that said "you do what I say and you get paid") then you don't have to, its not your job.

Now there is a difference in that and if I had been asked to move a computer desk (which is technically the building maintenance's job) because that is somewhat dealing with the tech stuff although not really.

So no, unless your job description that you signed on for is an open book, you cannot expect people to just drop what their doing and be made to start working on the roads.

MDG61 I beg to differ. I am the supervisor over a department of people of various skills. And daily whoever appears to be the least busy is selected to remove and empty the trash that day.

Should they choose to defy that or anything else needs to be done then they will be dismissed.

As for a lawsuit for being terminated. Wake up son, you can be terminated for any reason. Even if the supervisor just don't like your shoes.

ok Dareck I would 99% of the time agree with you, but in this case there would be circumstances where you might not do that. Taking out the trash is a little different then telling some older lady from the office to put on insulated coveralls and handing her a chain saw and telling her to get to it or be fired.

Spy wrote:

Connie is great

I believe the Mayor is a very honest and good hearted person who has never worked with people like this before (the commissioners). That may sound naive on my part, but it is true. I've known Connie for many years, and she is helpful and honest to everyone. She had a vision for the City, but the others had a vision for themselves.

MDG 61 wrote:

<quoted text>"snipped"

Now yeah they rushed that all and probably could have done things better but it was done as an emergency status. The road crews should have been used but I don't think they could cover the ground that was needed. Use the National Guard? That would have been the nicest option (at least for Richmond, not the Guard lol) but I don't think the city actually can make that call as to ordering them to clean brush that is already on the side of the streets. Besides, didn't it take a couple weeks just to get the Guard and federal aid here in KY?

To remind everyone, too, I knew a honest, caring family man not from Richmond, but had friends there when ice storm hit. He was asked to come by homeowners and help clean up because he is skilled with chainsaw and that kind of work. He'd been there 15 minutes when the law came and told him to get out of there. He wasn't the only one, I'm sure. So they give the contract to Mr. Big who makes hundreds of thousands of dollars and chase off the little guys who just wanted to help, and yeah, make a few bucks for doing it. The little people have no chance against the corruption, get rid of one bad apple, another one just replaces them, it's all about your name and money in Madison County.