The Do Nothing Administration

How many public works employees does it take to empty a waste basket at city hall? This really shouldn't be a question since any one of the clerks is more than capable of taking a bag out of the wastebasket, but why do such strenuous work when you have three men that are more than willing to take out the trash for you in exchange for your silence about them sitting at city hall for hours everyday. The city is currently being audited and I don’t need Dionne or any of her psychic friends to know that the City of Lumberton is losing money in the water department and on payroll. The board is constantly going over the Fuelman account for the police department, but there is never any mention about the increase in gas usage for the garbage truck or in the public works department. We always hear talk about the police not doing their jobs but mums the word when it comes to the public works department. Why was it necessary to hire additional workers for the grass crew if the biggest part of their day is trying to figure out where they can park without being seen? Or perhaps they’re not just avoiding work; in their own special way, they’re helping the city by decreasing their consumption of fuel. I never thought the day would come when I thought of Roy Easley as the hardest working man in the public works department, but that day has arrived. I know I’ve accused him of hiding from work, which may or may not be true, but at least he has the decency to look busy even if he’s not. Today, I passed by and saw him straddled on the ground; working his you know what off trying to repair a broken water main. I’m not a lover of crow, but when I’m wrong, I will admit I’m wrong. One thing’s for certain, he’s not sitting at city hall three or four hours a day, unlike some of the other worker’s from the public works department. Could one of our aldermen explain to the citizens of Lumberton why is it necessary for three public works employees to hold office hours at city hall on a daily basis? The board of aldermen (Gibson, Hale and Johnson) goes into attack mode anytime there’s two police officers at city hall at the same time, but they don’t seem to care that the clerk's office is grand central station for public works employees. Don’t they have walkie talkies to stay in contact with one another? The reason I find this so disturbing is the fact that they fired Harry Wilkes b/c of his pay, but when he was assigned to clean city hall, it was clean. On any given day, you go into city hall and it's a pigsty; especially during the monthly board meeting. If you’re going to slack off and hang out at city hall, at least make it look like you’re doing something other than waiting for the clerk to read you the contents of this blog while you drink your milk and eat cookies. WTBS, I went to the Fifth Avenue Park and it’s in need of a grass cutting, especially along the fence and walking track. I went to Love’s Addition Cemetery and it’s in need of a grass cutting. Alderman Johnson, I know I don’t live in your ward and you probably don’t care about the overgrown graves in the Love’s Addition Cemetery since you're not from here and don't have any family members buried in the Love Addition Cemetery, but could you address this issue before the close of summer? I feel that our cemetery deserves the same pristine care and attention that’s displayed on Main Street.