William G. Faust Jr. is a resident of Dover.
In the past, we have heard the following excuses from some on Dover City Council: 1.) We cannot do that unless we change the city charter; 2.) We are better off than other surrounding cities; 3.) This situation is beyond our control and is handled at the state level; 4.) Our revenue shortfall issue is due to the amount of nonprofits that are tax-exempt; 5.) The Downtown Dover Partnership project is what we need to turn things around; and 6.) Money is being invested into Dover, and it will take time to help our economic situation.
These are the powers-that-be who are running our city. It is their responsibility to make Dover a safer and more affordable place to live. The mayor and council members are our representatives and should be fighting daily to ensure that the city is economically sound. The past three years have proven that our elected officials have not been up to the task. How many do-overs do our elected officials get? Stop the excuses. You are supposed to be fighting for us. Failure appears to be OK with many on City Council because they keep passing on to the citizens shortfall gaps to fill.
If the city charter does not cover current practices/needs of the city, it needs updating. How many times can our mayor and council use the city charter as an excuse not to take immediate action? Updating the city charter is time-consuming and takes precious time away from addressing any situation or concern.
When are our elected officials going to roll out a platform to address and correct our revenue issues? They have had three years to address/correct this issue. Stop passing the buck! Soon enough, it will be time to work on the next yearly budget. The time and resources are needed now to produce a positive solution. This is not the time to come up with new and different excuses.
Our most vulnerable citizens are hurting now. They need relief now and not in 2030, when the downtown project is scheduled for completion. If the downtown project fails to bring in the required revenue, what happens then?
Stop touting how safe the city of Dover is with statistics. This is not a dig at our diligent officers. We need an attorney general who prosecutes the repeat offenders who make our streets unsafe. Also, stop using the excuse that negativity from the public makes our officers want to leave. I worked for the Delaware Department of Correction for 20 years. Officers leave for advancement, better pay or because they do not like the way leadership in the department is treating them. I have spoken to a few of Dover’s finest confidentially, and they informed me that the city is crying poor and told the officers that they have no revenue to give police a decent raise for their next contract. Therefore, they will go to arbitration to work out a contract. If the citizens do not feel safe walking down the streets, then your statistics mean nothing to those who are afraid to travel around Dover.
It seems to me that the city can find boatloads of money when it needs to. Find the money to give our officers decent raises.
It is time for the city of Dover to stop crying poor and do something to generate the revenue that is required to keep the city running. Kicking needed projects down the road solves nothing. Our revenue disaster has been three years in the making and is only getting worse.
I encourage our citizens to come out to the next council meeting and state what is on their minds. I also urge and encourage our citizens to register to vote and vote on Election Day. I do not care who you pull your lever for. That is your business. We need to send a message that we demand and require positive changes in our town and state.
This is submitted as a concerned citizen.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
