Speak Out 12/5/14

Where is our

mayor now?

Where is our Mayor now?? HER City Manager wants to RAISE electric rates, and not a peep from her! HER City Manager wants to close the Coliseum (which is in her Ward) not a peep from her! Wake up Poplar Bluff this lady only wants her way she doesn't care about you!

Bullied by the

city manager

How long are the citizens of Poplar Bluff going to be bullied by the new city manager? City manager has cost us almost $280,000 plus benefits for four people to replace one very competent gentleman and that's just payroll. His past associates from Texas and London instead of our local experts who submitted lower bids and the electric company should be left as is.

Impeach the

city council

Why in the world if we can impeach a president of the United States being elected by the people, then why cannot the people who elected our incapable council members and that city manager elected by this incapable mayor and council impeach our mayor and her coalition for voting for this money-grabbing city manager? They don't care about the elderly or low-income people in this town. They want to raise our utilities so they can run us out of Poplar Bluff. Why can't we run them out? Why should we wait for another election to get rid of them?

Considering

move to county

This message is for the new city council. I would like to say that a sure-fire way of NOT attracting new businesses and people to our community is to raise both taxes and utility bills. I've been in my home for over 30 years and I'm 70 years old and am seriously thinking about moving out of this high-end city.

Kaplan not

helping city

If Kaplan is worried that the coliseum is going to continue to deteriorate city assets, why doesn't he think about the big salary he's getting and also the people he's bringing in here at big salaries. That's not gonna help the city any. I think he needs to pack up and leave. He's not helping the city in any way that I can tell.

Kaplan must

cut his costs

Since the present city manager is so impressed with cost figures within the city. You see the article in today's paper concerning the coliseum. We would like to see the figures on running his office compared with the previous administration. We know what they are going to be and we therefore want to know his plan for reducing that.

College didn't

teach Kaplan

Apparently the city manager's college did not teach techniques of how to be a CEO. You do not have meetings with the entire group unless there is some type of disaster and you have to talk to them quickly. You visit them in their work place, understand their problems, give them a chance to ask you questions. He obviously didn't know this. This type of technique is taught in universities, but apparently not where he went. Thank you.

Coliseum was

a big mistake

Well, Poplar Bluff, you see in Sunday's paper where our city can't quite make up its mind on whether to close, what many call the Black River Coliseum, what I call, the Big Orange Boondoggle. Mind you, back when this vunderbuilding was proposed, there were quite a few people that literally almost begged our city not to build it. That type of social engineering to clean up that depressed center of the community down town there, eliminate all those bars and all those other questionable businesses that the city just had to clear out is now coming back to bite them in the budgetary-backsides. So, Poplar Bluff, the choice is yours. Keep sinking a million dollars into the thing that just goes down the drain or sell it! Turn it into an industry. Have somebody come in and gut it and turn it into senior apartments. Anything but let it eat up a hole in our budgetary hind ends.

Yes, Poplar Bluff, this is what we get with a new city council and this is what we get with an old city council and city managers that didn't tell you the truth about these budgetary constraints, so Poplar Bluff now you're getting to pay for your mistake, aren't you?

Nobody I know

likes Kaplan

I've lived in Poplar Bluff for more than 50 years and I have never seen anyone so disliked as this new city manager. In fact, among my friends, I only know one person who thinks he should be retained. He happens to be a member of the council and is not yet willing to admit they made a mistake in hiring him. When are we going to relieve him of his duties as city manager?