You also talked about the millage put on the ballot. Yes, Mr Wilburn, knew it was a millage that probably would not pass. Back to the same old bitching from the community about something wrong & someone trying to do something about it when no other way is working fast enough for the community. It was a bad idea but based on all those road meetings that is what the people wanted. A FIX no matter what. Yes the trickle down from our state capital is a drop in the bucket as to what is needed. Did you have a better solution? Did anyone else in this forum, this community, this county or state? I know that my opinion is that there needs to be change in the system at state level. It was also my opinion that if that millage passed we would be seeing even less trickle down to us.
Next lets talk about your throwing Whiteford Township into all of this. Other than on New 223 would you please tell me which roads get even the close to the same amount of traffic that any of our mile roads get. None is the answer. If you do not have the traffic, the trucks, etc. on the roads you have much less that needs repair, repavement etc. Oh and you probably are going to bring up the tractors and combines to me. I am a farm kid. I know when they are on the road, not even a good comparison, so don't bother wasting your time.
Yes, lets talk about the road levy. It is probably the best example because it represents two years worth of Mr. Wilburn's most focused effort and it is more out in the open where anyone can judge what kind of problem solving talent skill he has shown and what he actually brought to the table.
Assemble a Team of Qualified Road Experts What did Wilburn do? The team he assembled was: an HVAC contractor, a retired school teacher, a zoning administrator/planner, an accountant, and an administrator. Not a team of road experts. Although Lange may have knowledge about road administration, he also represents the foul taste of the MCRC. Not what I would consider a choice to gain confidence in our community. Very late in the game, a contractor and an engineer appeared. Yes, a step in the right direction, but too late to make any difference. As an aside, the engineer and his engineering company are both contributors to the Wilburn campaign. Gosh, wonder what his motivation was and if he would be willing to take issue with the guy who would be administering or distributing road improvement contracts?
The Levy That Wilburn Thought Would Probably Not PassIt is enlightening to know, as you have pointed out, that Wilburn would waste our money on a levy that he thought would not pass. What a waste of our money. Guess he wasn't willing to swallow his ego and propose something more palatable that might at least get the community started on a program of road improvement. Guess the road levy had to be "Wilburn's Way" or the "highway"
Other Levy AlternativesWith respect to other alternatives, there were many other alternatives that were suggested on this board including: proposing something more modest; shorter duration; less funding; a plan with some checks, balances, accountability, and some specifics. The first plan proposed could easily have been a small step and a small program; but at least it would have started us down the path. Let Wilburn prove he was capable of implementing a small program to the satisfaction of the community. Then, based on proven results, ask the community for a slightly larger program etc. Nope, no chance of that. "Wilburn’s Way" or the "highway".
Wilburn The BusinessmanOn other topics on this forum, you have boasted about the successful businessman that Wilburn has been and that those are qualities that would serve the community well. I agree that some of those qualities are important. However, small businessmen make decisions for their own business; they don't have to tell anyone what they are going to do, how they are going to do it, what their priorities are, who is going to do it for them, and they don't have to be accountable to anyone but themselves.
Here is what Wilburn (the businessman) did in the road levy: he didn't tell us what he was going to do (no specifics); he didn't tell us how he was going to do it (is he going to hire his campaign contributors or put all services, engineering and contracting up for bid); and he didn't include any accountability provisions. Yep, just being a businessman.
The township supervisor, from my perspective, is a manager who works for the township. If a manager requests funding for something, it is his responsibility to detail what and how the funding will be used. Something like "just fix the roads" is less than a satisfactory answer.
This apparently is a concept that Wilburn does not think applies to him as best illustrated by the road levy.
He didn't just ask for $1,000.00 without detailing what he was going to do
He didn't just ask for $10,000.00 without detailing what he was going to do
He didn't just ask for $100,000.00 without detailing what he was going to do
He didn't just ask for $1,000,000.00 without detailing what he was going to do
He asked for $10,000,000.00 without detailing what he was going to doWhiteford Township"Next lets talk about your throwing Whiteford Township into all of this. Other than on New 223 would you please tell me which roads get even the close to the same amount of traffic that any of our mile roads get. None is the answer."
Whiteford Township is a good example in my opinion because, even though they are more rural, Bob Schnipke brought focus to roads a long time ago, not just the last couple of years as with Wilburn.
I have no clue as you what you mean by "our mile roads".
In response to your specific quote on traffic on Whiteford roads that might be equivalent to Bedford's traffic, "None is the answer."? Frankly, I didn't realize that Sterns Road was no longer part of Whiteford Township? I didn't realize that all the heavy haul stone trucks that travel on Sterns Road to the quarries near Sterns and Whiteford Center Road were not actually traveling thru Whiterford Township. I didn't realize that all the trucks that go to the facilities off Schnipke Drive and Section Road, near US 23, were not traveling through Whiteford Township. I didn't realize that supply trucks, that bring materials to Bedford Township, no longer come down Sterns Road and don't go through Whiteford Township. You better inform the residents in Whiteford township about this, I think they are in for a big surprise.
Shared Responsibility, Past Supervisors/b]It is fine with me if you want to blame past supervisors for not addressing road problems sooner. From my perspective, however, that smoke screen does little to change what Wilburn has done the last eight years and in particular the folly of his egotistical road levy.
The road levy, because it represents two years of Wiburn's focused effort, serves as a great example of what he brings to the table. "Wilburn's Way" or the "highway", I'll take the highway.