Speak Out 5/24/14

Stop raping

the trees

Yeah, I'm calling about the article you had in the paper about what Ozark Border and Townsend Tree Co. is doing to the trees. In my yard, I've got three small trees that are just about to touch the power lines. Townsend comes through the other day and said they wanted to level them to the ground. I said, No, you're not cutting them to the ground. And I have hedges all around my house so now they want to cut down to the hedges. I'm sorry but I think Ozark Border needs go out and check and see what these people are doing because they are raping our trees. What's the sense of cutting them down just because they are getting close to the power line? You want to trim 'em? I don't have a problem with that, but DO NOT cut my trees to five feet tall to match my hedges. And if you travel any of these county roads where Townsend has been they've raped these trees. They've cut 'em to the ground and everything else. I think Ozark Borders needs to find somebody else beside Townsend to do what they're doing or they should make Townsend follow some rules. Thank you.

Where are charges?

I would like to know with all the discussion of corruption in city politics by Mayor Angela Pearson and others on the city council, now that they have the majority and the control of the city council, where are the arrests? Where are the charges being filed for this so-called corruption? Do we interrupt the lack of thereof as lack of corruption? Probably so.

Nobody ever sees the steps

I don't know why they're so crazy about fixing the steps to the train depot. The only train that goes in and out of there is a two or three o'clock in the morning. Nobody ever sees the damn things. Thank you.

Reader seeks tax answers

Speak Out, I have a question and perhaps Don and his team at the DAR could research an answer. Since the actions of the new council, the majority just wasted over $250,000 --tax money and since most elected officials are bonded to protect themselves from lawsuits, would it be appropriate for a group of Poplar Bluff taxpayers form their own coalition and file suit for malfeasance? Shouldn't people be responsible for the decisions that they make that basically costs other people money? Surely there's an avenue where the taxpayers won't lose out. Shit, that's enough to buy one of those fire trucks they need. It amounts to theft of public money and there should be a remedy. Not only is the salary an issue but the cost of a search is gonna be pretty expensive, too. It's just irresponsible. Totally irresponsible.

Also I wondered if your investigation discovered who was behind the new council members? The DAR confirms Brannum's word is worthless. Anyone who did business with Mr. Tinsley now defunct office machine business may have found the same is true of his word. From the beginning it was obvious Ms. Pearson was executing someone's vendetta toward Bagby after an official investigation could find no wrong doing in his office and that avenue failed for them, so then her backers brought in Rushin and the others on the board to get rid of Bagby. The outcome of the investigation which proves the validity of Mr. Bagby's suit against Pearson as well as the frivolity of Ms. Pearson's countersuit. I just think that fair's fair and right's right and the taxpayers need to be reimbursed.

Print equal no.

of pros-cons

It would be nice if the great Daily American Republic newspaper would print an equal amount of pros-cons on the firing of our city manager. I think that they are jumping the gun as far as what will come out and what won't come out and if things continue they probably, meaning the DAR, will have a great deal of egg on their face, but, to me, it should be something as a newspaper should show some kind of equal time instead of being so negative! Mr. Bagby is gone and just like the mayor system of years ago. Maybe, it was time. Thank you.

The problems

in Ellsinore

I'll bet you if the clerk in Ellsinore was voted into position we'd have a different clerk. People need to notice what's going on. We have two sisters on the board. Now, a husband and wife team. It's almost as bad as our school.