The Buzz in the business community is the City of Pensacola failed to get on the 2008 U.S. Conference of Mayors report of “shovel-ready” projects. Mayors of this state submitted their projects. Pensacola Mayor Mike Wiggins did not apparently.
See: Stimulus Watch.
Popularity: 5% [?]
[...] Questions Posted in February 27th, 2009 by admin in Florida News No Tags Rick Outzen at his Independent News Blog is passing along the rumor that “the City of Pensacola failed to get on the 2008 U.S. [...]
“competent hypocrites” – i love it.
but that’s the point. Miller voted against each and every one of those farm subsidies– but his people still received them and cashed the checks. all im trying to say is that we should nto be hypocrites– and this applies to the farm stuff as well. miller DOES rail against wasteful spending because he knows that even if he votes against it, it will still pass and people here get the checks. those are easy votes to make. he should put his money where his mouth is. make him accountable for his votes– reject the money he rails against. in mississippi they dont like federal spending either but somehow they get a lot of it. same for alabama. maybe they are all hypocrites over there as well, but they’re competent hypocrites.
but that’s the point. Miller voted against each and every one of those farm subsidies– but his people still received them and cashed the checks. all im trying to say is that we should nto be hypocrites– and this applies to the farm stuff as well. miller DOES rail against wasteful spending because he knows that even if he votes against it, it will still pass and people here get the checks. those are easy votes to make. he should put his money where his mouth is. make him accountable for his votes– reject the money he rails against. in mississippi they dont like federal spending either but somehow they get a lot of it. same for alabama. maybe they are all hypocrites over there as well, but they’re competent hypocrites.
publius, you say that Congressman Miller is not in favor of “taking federal handouts” and “has railed against . . . wasteful spending.” Surely you jest. My reply won’t post here, but see it at my blog.
publius raises a point…
it’s not the job of the Conference of Mayors or the League of Cities to get Pensacola in the Stimulus package…it’s the job of our elected officials, specifically, those who have a hand in writing it – Miller, Nelson, Martinez.
of course, since Miller and Martinez opposed it, that leaves Nelson. I sure hope we talked to him.
why is there something wrong with not being on the stimulus bill? led by our congressman, there is a proud tradition of pensacola not taking federal handouts–for example, not getting any katrina/rita money (although northern alabama did). Our congressman, who represents us, has railed against the stimulus as wasteful spending. Same for health insurance for poor chldren. Let Miller take a stand. If he’s against it, and he’s at the federal level, then the money shouldnt come here.
Spoke with Mayor Wiggins. The City of Pensacola is not a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The City did send its requests to Florida League of Cities.
Items marked as “Buzz” are just that. Rumblings in the community.
Now the question is —Will the members of the U.S. Conference of Mayors do better with the Stimulus package than those who are only members of the Florida League of Cities.
There is nothing factually wrong with Rick’s post, but it is misleading.
From the Home page:
“StimulusWatch.org was built to help the new administration keep its pledge to invest stimulus money smartly, and to hold public officials to account for the taxpayer money they spend. We do this by allowing you, citizens around the country with local knowledge about the proposed “shovel-ready” projects in your city, to find, discuss and rate those projects. These projects are not part of the stimulus bill. They are candidates for funding by federal grant programs once the bill passes. Learn more by reading the FAQs.”
“FAO #9. Why is my city not listed?
The data on this site comes from the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ MainStreet Economic Recovery Report. If a city did not include its “shovel-ready” projects on that list, you won’t find it here. However, this does not mean that cities that are not included here do not have projects they’d like to see funded. Once the stimulus bill passes, cites will make requests for federal grants, and we will likely see grants to projects not listed on this site.”
Let’s hope that local politicians make sure that worthy local projects are funded.
Rather than jump to conclusions, I choose to wait until my trusted media contact the Mayor and City Manager for the official story.
Um Rick, that’s you.
I keep wondering why money is spent on elections and income/benefits for the politicians since the Chamber goes over and tells them what, when, and how things will be done.
I read the other day about how the RNC states they will punish any of their elected folks that support Obama or his recovery plan. That sure makes me think the republicans are pledging their allegience to the RNC, and not “to the flag, and to the republic for which it stands.” That reminds me of the loyalty oaths they were required to sign back here just a few looooong years ago.
It has been the Council’s and staff’s contention that the mayoral position is ceremonial, not administrative.
Had the mayor wanted to get Pensacola on the list, I am sure he would have been discouraged.
Another reason to have a mayoral form of government. Another reason to have a mayoral form of government. Another reason to….another..another..
So perfect. So typical. So ironic. So awful for this town.
I give up. Anyone who wants to hope for the best for this town has one of two things going on in their mind: 1) running for election to help their buddies make money and line their own pockets by exploiting the hopeless masses; or 2) just not enough intelligence to see it will never, ever, ever, ever, change here.
I am done hoping. It aint gonna happen here. This is a community of mostly impoverished people and always will be. Always! Don’t even attempt to tell me different. 450 years of sucking isn’t long enough for this town. I suspect it will suck until the sun swells while dying a couple billion years from now. Thanks again visionary leaders!
where was city staff on this?
those are the folks who should have been making sure things were happening – that IS what we pay them for, right?
Well, that wouldn’t be in keeping with how things are done around here. Besides, oversight is not welcome here.
They may as well stop pontificating about an I-10 space corridor, too, because we aren’t on the mass transit map, either. We are to live in our cars, you see, disconnected from the community in which we live because it’s good for business, just as potholes are good for business. Correct, CofC??