Airline head takes aim at area political leaders

"What I told John Waters was that Carlsbad is a political cesspool. And I stand by that statement," Kahlstorf said Friday in a telephone interview. "It is often said that people get the government they deserve, but I don't believe it. The people of Carlsbad deserve much better than a handful of self-serving cronies willing to go to any length to maintain the status quo.
"The people of Carlsbad are warm and friendly and I have many friends here. It would be absurd for me to say Carlsbad is a cess pit.
"I know there are people in Carlsbad that share my frustration with the government. There are a lot of smart people in Carlsbad. It's just a small group of people that manage to stranglehold Carlsbad."

Guess I'm not the only one to see it...

Just factual...Carlsbad is both a political, AND social cesspool.
I would encourage the young people of this 'pool' to take their education seriously and apply themselves...or quit wasting time and money and just kill yourselves now to avoid ending up like the majority of the people in this place...drunk and on welfare.

Sad but true, one of the reasons I left was the drugs the politics and the unsolved murders.

There may be some problems with John Waters. Check into why he "left" his last job.

The last paragraph was telling: "I believe the air traffic reflects the economic growth in a community. Hobbs is growing and Carlsbad is not. The increase in air traffic in Hobbs is a success story for the essential air service program," he added."

And Carlsbad's "leaders" need to stand up and explain that.

Is the Mayor and all other offical's so blind they can't see these things or is it because they can't get enough for their fair share?????

WELL HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH ?????

It sure is a good thing we have some Boss Hogg's running things here in Carlsbad. Sure wouldn't want all those problems associated with out of control prosperity we see in Artesia and Hobbs.

Complaining won't help any we need to stick together and do something for Carlsbad, We need to
take back our town and make something out of it.
The Boss Hoggs won't work with us in Santa Fe because they want a retiree town.Funny, there's nothing to offer the elderly.All they think is money in the pocket.

And that means dumping the local leaders which isnt going to happen unless people are willing to band together to get rid of them

Carlsbad is typical of other failing or stagnant small towns. They have in common an inability of their leadership to understand why their conditions exist. This is truly unfortunate since Carlsbad has tremendous potential if only it were well-led by progressive people.
The private business interests of the political leadership clearly take precedence over having a thriving, viable community that is attractive to business, retirees and tourists.
If their businesses can make it only by stifling competition, then they must not be well run or offer what people are looking for. But, that seems to be the business model encouraged by those in power.
There is a reason the population and financial climate are virtually unchanged for over 30 years. The city does not look substantially different from the 1970s. This is because the business climate is decidedly unfriendly to outsiders, but outside business interests are the only significant source of new revenue. If it were otherwise, the city would be booming from local investment. It isn't.
The zeal of the mayor for a stagnant canal and water park is completely baffling. Neither of these will do a thing to improve the city or encourage people to come or stay in Carlsbad. Any thinking person knows this folly is a failure-in-waiting.
The Dept of Development is more properly called the Dept of Decline. It is seemingly staffed by people who apparently do not have the first clue about how to attract jobs or investment.
Getting another Dollar store or Car-Title loan outlet does not constitute advancement...but those industries do not impinge on the profitability of the mayor's businesses or those of the city counselors. They likewise are not the kinds of businesses that contribute anything significant to the local economy.
Take a look at places like Twin Falls ID, a town very similar to Carlsbad in size and setting. The big difference is Twin Falls seems to be extremely friendly to business. They reap the benefits for the city and the citizenry and appear to have largely avoided the perils of overdevelopment.
Mayor Bob, you owe the city and its population better than what you've delivered.

Wondering why someone doesn't step up, give of their time, let it consume their life, take all the critism, instead of just slandering and spouting off on a blog?????

Wondering Why wrote:

Wondering why someone doesn't step up, give of their time, let it consume their life, take all the critism, instead of just slandering and spouting off on a blog?????

Can you spell C-O-W-A-R-D or L-A-Z-Y?

Can you say T-H-A-T-S B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T.

Oh, I forgot you can't.

It's times like these when I REALLY miss Walter Gerrells. Sure, he could be a hot-tempered prick & thought he owned the town and he didnt's take critism (sic), very well. BUT he got things done,and had a vision for the city. Carlsbad was clean, and was named a national blue-ribbon city in 1971. His terms in office were Carlsbad's heyday. NOW look at the place..........

I think Walter is directly responsible for the entrenchment of drugs in Carlsbad. He started the NO GROWTH era for Carlsbad. How did he afford to buy up businesses in town that did not appear to bring in money? Could they have been laundering? How about the heavy handedness of the Police Dept. during that era?

Some people claim that Walter and Bob were in the same bed, its just that they kept each others butt covered depending upon which party was in power.

I am treated courteously at Forrest Tire, and if all businesses in Carlsbad treated their customers as well they would not have problems. We have the right ammount of restaurants for Carlsbads population, We just don't have the right restaurants.

Fair man...

Yes and yes to both post questions...

Wondering Why you know EVERYTHING about EVERYthing, Hal. Do your relatives keep you that informed? Did you personally know Walter and do you personally know Bob?

Hi KornBack, having fun with your new name?