The View From The Cheap Seats
By Jerry Haferkamp
I have missed parts of the past several council meetings, so I’m not sure of the status of the future salary for our incoming mayor . I do know that the proposal by Councilman Hoepfner is in the range of $130,000. We all know “Battling Bob” as the fierce fighter to save taxpayer money. If that is the case, why in the world is he proposing a salary that exceeds that of our Missouri governor by 10%? The governor only makes $120,000, but of course, he is only the chief executive of a state, not Mayor of the “Center of the Universe”. Bob needs to get over his trip to Germany with the Mayor and come on back down to Earth with the rest of us mortals. I would like to see Bob turn his back on the Dark Side and come back to the Light.
For those of us who finally got street cracks filled, the company that did the work did an excellent job. I didn’t catch the full name, but MAC was on the truck door. They should get more city work if they continue to provide the same quality. I’m just glad that the mayor didn’t have another pet project to benefit South Main again this year and divert the funds to her friends down there like she did the last time our streets were to have cracks filled.
There is an apartment complex off Missouri Bottom Road that I’m sure the residents of St. Charles would like to see become mostly owner-occupied condos. Anyone who has visited the development knows that turning these upscale units into condos would be an asset. The owner should re-apply and the council should act in the best interests of our residents. We can’t let this be another money draining lawsuit. This place is becoming a lawyer’s paradise, and at least one judge is living an egotist’s dream. The council can’t let this issue get into his court.
A tip of the hat to our firemen and some of the service organizations in St. Charles. A duplex belonging to one of my sons caught fire last month. Although half of the ground level on one side was gutted, luckily no one was injured. The fire personnel did a great job. When I arrived 15 minutes after being notified by the tenant, gas workers had already shut off the gas. The Red Cross was already on the scene and had arranged for the tenants on both sides to have motel accommodations for the night, breakfast in the morning and access to clothing that didn’t reek of smoke. (Who could sleep when you knew the attached apartment next door could still have a glowing ember somewhere?) All this was accomplished within three hours of the discovery of the fire and was during the hours of 10:30 PM to 1:30 AM., literally in the middle of the night.
Thanks to all for a job truly “Well Done”. You were great.
As always, that’s the view from the cheap seats.
