William G. Faust Jr. is a resident of Dover.
I just read a recent article (by Spotlight Delaware) explaining that the mayor’s leave of absence was excused by Dover City Council President Fred Neil. It is quite convenient that this information comes out now. Yes, the mayor explained his absences; however, the article did not address why the council body was not notified of his absences.
Council President Fred Neil cannot make the excuse that his omission of the facts was unintentional! As a veteran news reporter, he knows how to present information factually.
This recent article brings into question the objectivity of how this matter was handled. This matter could have totally been avoided if he just stated that the mayor was under the weather and in the hospital. This current article smacks of a cover-up, especially because I asked him on the council floor where the mayor was, since he was missing from many meetings! Council President Fred Neil just sat in his chair and made no response. This recent article has all the missing facts and information to clear up the mayor’s absences. This is so convenient. No wonder the city is in the mess that it is in now!
If the mayor’s absences for the meetings were excused, why did Council President Fred Neil not brief the full council body on the situation? Or, better yet, submit documentation that the meetings the mayor was absent from were excused. Something of this importance should have been documented for official records. According to the city charter, the full council body should have made the decision to excuse the mayor’s absences. Therefore, it appears that Council President Neil overstepped his authority in this matter. The only way Council President Neil could have made this decision was if he was acting mayor during the mayor’s illness.
Another point that was glossed over/missing was that the mayor was hospitalized due to a bad case of flu that was shutting down some of his systems. If you have systems shut down, are you healthy enough to run the city of Dover? Nobody seems to want to address this key issue.
This article brings up more questions than answers. We are getting a sanitized version of the facts to do damage control.
Well, the day of reckoning will soon be upon us! Summer is coming, and more individuals will be on the street. How many criminals will the attorney general slap on the wrist with cashless bails or unsecured bails? Or, better yet, what kind of song-and-dance routine will we get this year, when City Council starts the budget hearings?
Citizens of Dover, prepare for a bumpy ride. It is going to be a long summer.
Lastly, it gets old and pathetic that the mayor and Council President Fred Neil call citizens who question things occurring in the city troublemakers. Council President Fred Neil always tells citizens to email the mayor and council with any concerns or questions. This is a farce because Council President Fred Neil has not acknowledged any of my past several emails to the mayor and council. Council President Fred Neil, how is your radio silence to the citizens of Dover working for you?
This is submitted from a concerned citizen!
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
