Faust: Dover debating ‘fantasy world’ ordinances

How about using our limited resources to do good for all? Let’s not worry about petty issues when more critical concerns need to be fixed first.”

William G. Faust Jr. is a resident of Dover.

Have we been teleported to Walt Disney World and now live in a fantasy world? Some on Dover City Council are living there. They are more concerned about wasting resources to purchase “Strictly enforced” signs to go under the speed limit signs or to try to pass an ordinance to punish our most vulnerable, who are forced to beg for money to get food, as well as those who attempt to help our needy.

How about using our limited resources to do good for all? Let’s not worry about petty issues when more critical concerns need to be fixed first. How about tackling these critical issues first?:

• Stopping and reducing our out-of-control gun violence.
• Urging the board of Bayhealth to develop and implement some level of trauma unit with the current upgrade plan.
• Working to bring in smaller mom-and-pop stores and larger corporations, so more revenue can be generated. Putting all your eggs into the downtown development basket is so foolish and has enormous potential for failure.
• Stopping the robberies occurring to our local merchants. All these robberies cause businesses to close or pass the costs onto consumers to make up for any losses.
• Cleaning up the prostitution issue, drug issue and homelessness issue, all of which cause other criminal activities and bring more criminal elements into our city.
• I fully support our police department! How about bringing concerns about cashless bail and other nonenforcement of laws on the books to the governor? These are tying the hands of our officers and endangering those who protect us daily.

The mayor and City Council’s job is to lessen the burden placed on citizens, especially our most vulnerable citizens. The leaders’ priorities need to change! If not, I foresee that the next fiscal budget for the city is going to be filled with additional fees, increases in utilities or increases in taxes. Do not be shocked when you hear they need to have a double-digit increase of some type to balance the budget. I would bet they are going to try to push through a 15%-20% increase onto the citizens of Dover next year.

I encourage my fellow citizens to flood the phone lines of City Hall, demanding accountability and fiscal responsibility immediately.

Stop saying it is the cost of doing business or that we have the fifth-lowest electricity rate. The mayor and council should not pat themselves on their backs because, in the past two years, they have only passed the burden of keeping the city afloat onto the backs of citizens.

One thing to keep in mind is that our younger citizens will one day be retired, on fixed incomes and not able to absorb such increases. It’s something to think about.

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.