10 February 2007

alexandria la locking down city hall

we noticed how a recent town talk article "access restricted to first-floor city hall offices." [our clipping] recounts how alexandria's brain trust has seen fit to lock down alexandria, louisiana city hall. alexandria, city council president everett hobbs said that it was done to protect several female city hall workers.

billy gunn writes that according to mr. hobbs no one else other than city council clerks, those elected to the council and a few other city employees such as the television producer for council meetings can get into the back offices including the break room. additionally we learn that in the lobby offices that had "formerly housed tax and utility receipts clerks also are secured for current employees. those who work in the city's computer systems divisions also sit behind locked-tight doors."

not to be outdone:

"There also are locks to the two doors that lead from council chambers to the former committee room, Hobbs' and the clerks' offices, and to the break room. Shutting off public entrance to the break room prohibits non-city employees from eating from the buffet that is catered for every council meeting.
Fewer eaters should cut down on the expenses of catering, Hobbs said, "unless the mayor brings a whole lot of staff down."
as if after reading about how the city council is eating hi-on-the-hog with expensive catered council meeting parties to the tune of $11,129 [8,554eur] or an average of $428.03 [329eur] per meeting (26 meetings total) and that the regular joe and jane six-packs are now denied access to their own city hall wouldnt piss someone off -- out comes another article Alexandria City Council to delay boxing contract vote [our clipping] published again by the town talk reveals how the city of alexandria paid $15,000 [11,534eur] to "dana pitcher productions, inc." for an 04 november 2006 "boxing and mixed martial arts show at the Alexandria Riverfront Center." which is very interesting to us because for one thing we cant find a dana pitcher productions, inc. listed in the louisiana sec'y of state corporations database. however, a search of "dana pitcher" returns a whole page of inactive corporations. so we dont know whats going on there. we dont understand why the city is paying someone to produce "events" here in alexandria. it would seem that promoters should be paying the city for use of public facilities, security, maintenance and so forth. also the town talk article doesnt say but it would appear that the city paid much more than the $15k when you take into consideration the cost of the electricity, security and so forth...

next, came the town talk article: City councilman wants buildings to come tumbling down [our clipping] billy gunn writes about how "Alexandria officials are undertaking a comprehensive study of what can be done to take over abandoned commercial buildings" then mr. gunn qualifies that statement by reminding us that abandoned (commercial...for now at least) buildings are "a blight on the face of the city." this might not sound like such a bad idea until you consider this other article mr. gunn wrote New ordinance allows Alexandria to remove abandoned vehicles quickly [our clippng] which we blogged about here about how alexandria has taken it upon themselves to suspend the constitution and without due process, arbitrarily seize a person's property. so if the city government can seize your property (a vehicle) under the flimsiest of excuses then whats to stop them from seizing other property i.e. your (according to them) abandoned building or even eventually your house?

it looks like someone in city government has been reading their bible -- especially the part where king solomon at proverbs chapter twenty-nine verse two wrote about how "when the righteous are in authority the people rejoice" however, looks like they have skipped that part and focused on the second part of that verse "but when the wicked beareth rule the people mourn." if the people that "rule" over alexandria where truly righteous there would be no need to lock down city hall. if they were righteous they would gladly share their catered meals with the citizens who are interested enough in city government operations that come there to see them work. they would be honored. the citizens paid for it anyway. if they were righteous they wouldnt be thinking of ways to steal the citizens property and just who benefits from all this anyway?


so it looks like there is going to shortly be a whole bunch of pissed off people in alexandria and now you know why city hall is locking down.

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