William G. Faust Jr. is a resident of Dover.
It appears to me that Dover lacks true leadership. City Council President Fred Neil has failed to lead the rest of council to address the major issues facing the city.
Council President Fred Neil says from his elevated seat in Council Chambers that we need affordable housing in the city of Dover. However, he voted with most of council to originally pass the new ordinance for fire sprinklers in homes. Councilmember Brian Lewis was the only one present who voted against this new ordinance at first. The experts who came out to speak on this issue all stated that this ordinance only adds to the cost of homes and does not help those who are trying to purchase their first homes or does not make house purchases more affordable for those who need assistance due to their economic situations.
Council President Fred Neil continues to bring up the city revenue hardships due to the high percentage of nonprofits in the city of Dover. This excuse would be acceptable if the nonprofit issue was new or dramatically increased without warning. However, this issue has been present for years.
When Council President Fred Neil opens the public forum sections of the council meetings, his favorite disclaimer is that issues not on the agendas cannot be spoken about but could be placed on an agenda at a future date. The sad fact is, the only time he allows a council member or department head to speak at any council meeting is to squash or do damage control on a hot or controversial issue that places the city in a poor light. It is very rare that he places any concern on any future agenda so that it can be addressed. Note: In his position, Council President Fred Neil sets all council agendas.
Any item that he does not agree with, he is fast to punch holes in or state that the individual who brought the item up is politically motivated. An example of this is Councilmember Dr. Roy Sudler’s proposal to correct or help improve the city’s revenue woes. Council President Fred Neil is fast to criticize; however, he never presents an alternative proposal.
I was informed by a department head that no general questions could be asked of the department heads and that I had to go through a Freedom of Information Act request. This appears to me to be another way of sidestepping issues or making the citizens jump through hoops to get answers to basic questions.
A true leader leads troops in the right direction to overcome and fix any issue that is in his or her way. True leaders are always up front, where the action is happening. It appears that Council President Fred Neil prefers to lead from the back seat, so he can duck issues and sidestep the major issues facing our great city.
I fear that Council President Fred Neil will lead the rest of council into a fourth budget that needs to be balanced once again on the backs of the citizens of Dover.
I have stated numerous times on the chambers’ floor that all the increases in fees, increases in utilities and, lastly, increases in taxes mean that the citizens have less disposable income to spend in outlets and stores throughout the city of Dover.
This is submitted by a very concerned citizen.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
