WECT chimes in with a brief story on the rally last Saturday (Sabado) here.
The 21 March town council meeting was a raucous affair. I have just watched it over the weekend. Most every speaker is a hero. Yes, they are heroes.
The council meeting started on a hypocritical note. Veronica Carter ( I am tempted to nickname her Sluggo) sent up a prayer.
Carter is the council’s most prominent NY Democrat. Carter’s prayer was insulting. She called for compassion and mercy. Let’s be clear—she means YOU the voter should be compassionate to HER. She is not ever including herself in that prayer. Once again, for Carter, mercy and compassion are a one way street. Now if you don’t mind, she covets your property—prayers to God in this sense, must have given her an exemption on that commandment.
Have you noticed that Sluggo never proposes a cut in the budget? In this meeting she spent most of the night tapping on her cell phone like she was trying to summon the Feds to employ FISA on the citizens who spoke rationally that night. Oh yes, she hates every single one of you.
Council soi boy Campbell spent most of the night with his head in his hands. Oh not out of embarrassment, he was pissed the citizens dare question him. He did not have the respect for his own neighbors to look them in the eye and defend his bad decisions. WEAK.
McHugh was “attentive” but Holloman was…meh. He just wants you to pave the road in front of his house…peasant. Get to it.
McHugh, well, this guy, is going to run for Bozeman’s seat one day. He is constantly trying to split the fine line between the citizens and what he really wants to do—fleece you from your money. He and that tax and spend liberal, Carter, are going to be enemies in the future because she covets the same seat. Now do not get me wrong, both McHugh and Carter are complete clowns. Nevertheless, fetch me the popcorn.
Just watch and listen to the 21 March meeting. It is an embarrassment for the citizens to have such clowns running the local government. Oh, and notice how much the Town of Leland edited the video. Cowards. Also, you’d think with all the pay raises, this incompetent town could hire competent sound people. But, yeah, no, they can’t, so enjoy the mic interference. Do not worry, they are paid handsomely, by you:
There is NOT a lot of detail one needs to understand the budget. The speakers certainly had the facts of the budget details—the percentage rise year over year are factually correct. The rise this year was PROPOSED at 66% for salaries.
Leland engages in Zero Based Budgeting. That is a fancy way of saying—we are going to raise your taxes every year to line our pockets and grow the town for our political purposes. ZBB always means budget growth not budget cuts.
The better theory of budgeting is to see what “revenues” are, and then make a budget to zero out the budget. That is what is called fiscally responsible action. NOT this council! They have Nikita Khrushchev envy!
The proposed budget percentages, while interesting, and helpful, pale in comparison to the ideological bent of this council. You think that last decades or so (since 2007) are astonishing? You ain’t seen nothing yet. Every single member of the Leland council not only does not care about you, but they are of such a political ideology, they would be fine doing worse in the right circumstances. The council has cut the massive increase, but this is not out of listening to the people; it still represents their political greed. They will do it again, and again, until responsible representatives are elected in their place.
The money aspect is just one of their sins. But make no mistake, people like Bankruptcy Bozeman, Carter Sluggo, McHugh—all supported the Covid shut downs, the losses of your jobs, and now, they support you leaving town because of high taxes so they can bring in richer people and slave labor who rent coffin apartments.
The tax rises are ONLY a means to this end. Everything the town council is doing is meant to increase their power, and take over the COUNTY. Remember how cities have done this? Hey, you NY people who came from the finger lakes, or Buff., you like the way NYC runs your former state? Chicago folks: how you like the way it runs Illinois, or Cook Cty? Michigan: How bout that lovely town called Detroit? Oregon: Portland anyone? Georgia: Atlanta is fabulous no? Wilmington runs New Hanover. Are you starting to see the picture now? I could go on.
So given the right circumstances, Leland’s “rulers” will screw you. They did it during Covid; they will do it again.
All of these cities I noted above are awful places to live, and Leland wants to be like them, and then OWN the county. However, I would trust the first 100 names from the white pages of Whiteville (please call it how it is pronounced—sounds like WHY-Vul) than these little petty tyrants on council.
They have turned their backs on you; now we must turn our backs on them.
Now what does need some detail is how Leland is bribing developers right under our noses.
Here is Leland giving one developer $525 million. Evolve apartments—they are thick in it around here, and are the front group to a particular developer who, let’s just say, does not care about you. I can testify personally, they promise to work with you, and talk to you, and promise to call you, and they do not. Once they get a permit, they ghost you. Drive down Leland’s main street today—guess what you see posted on under development properties: these guys. Now ask self why. And they build the most pathetic ugly buildings—or coffins, as it goes.
Here is my video on McKinley and how the Town of Leland WILL fabricate data that your homes are not going to be affected by all this development. Though this is about the Belville, the same principles are at play here, and are used in every town council around here:
The Leland council does three things in action to rig the system and spend your money: 1) they go to a developer and ask ONE person to be annexed. Developer/own submits peition to be annexed. 2) Council then passes annexation. 3) Council then pays developer money for the service under the guise of infrastructure development for the town. See how that all works? QUID. PRO. QUO. In the end it is a bribe and has been acted on over and over right in front of us—they are not even trying to cover up the corruption:
Here is another Leland bribe scheme.
And another.
And another.
And another.
And another.
And another. This one is where the town violates the forced annexation law, goes to a developer, asks 1 person to petition for annexation, then pays him off with “economic development” funds.
I could go on—what are we up to now. 700 million at least? These are not investments, nor grants. They are bribes. Over the last 10 years, if the rate is on target, Leland—sorry YOU—have paid 1 billion to developers. Doesn’t that make you feel good!? The people at McKinley Bldg can keep their Wrightsville Beach homes now!
The bottom line is this: Leland has spent your money that they otherwise would have in their fund to create more fire stations or even expand water and sewer lines. They did not do that because they spent our money irresponsibly. Instead they have paid off their buddies and strapped the taxpayer in this town.
They have turned their backs on you; now we must turn our backs on them.
Stop the annexations and a lot of problems are reduced or go away. Turn our excellent fire department over to the county and the 11 million subsidy to non-Leland users go away. Stop the town hall annex. Sell the outlying land parcels the town purchased for "inevitable" growth. Focus on development inside the foot print of the existing town. Let some of our high priced staff be poached by other governments. A smaller well paid staff is fine. I am coming to believe tax rates could be lowered with some prudent leadership. Leland is a fine place to live. Lets keep it that way.