Well, I read the Daily Blat on Friday morning and watched three different news broadcasts and not a single word about it. I noted that a couple of the Candidates showed up late at the Council meeting, so suspect they went and it ended there badly?
In any case, on the way out last night we saw a remarkable sight. See below:
Rick Uhl 8 hrs · Vienna · "Came out from City Council Meeting tonight, and across the street, there is a huge Fire Department Ladder truck, with ladder extended, and ALL those red, blue lights going up the ladder. I heard Mr Rapp likes all the bells and whistles, and shiny things, I think this is going way too overboard . Im quite sure the ladder could have been equipped with just some plain white lights. Definately a SHOW piece, I dont need the red and blue lights if I have a fire.
WHILE Im on the subject of lights, how many are on the police cars? The best I can see when I drive by them having someone pulled over on grand central, appears to be at least a dozen if not 18, on a cruiser. What is the reason for this, "bells and whistles, shiny things" SPEND THAT DAMN MONEY".
The meeting as most of them are lately was a dog and pony show. People are seated to give a maximum exposure for whatever publicity to be available. And as was the sad case when Mr. Rapp used the two ladies from the D.A.R. a couple of weeks ago to proclaim "Constitution Week"; last night was not an exception either. I would note that the current City Council and Constitution Week is an oxymoron. Why you ask? Broke their oaths of office within days/ weeks of taking them and never looked back.
As I noted, last night was another example of how the people of Vienna are used, yes used as puppets in Mr. Rapp's constant self aggrandizement. A good example was the young Boy Scout I believe who arrived late with his father. The meeting had already began, yet Mr. Rapp jumps up, goes and gets the father who was standing by the door takes him to a "reserved" seat, tells him he can sit there. Than he takes the boy up to the Dais, grabs Mr. Stephens chair who was absent, rolls it over by him had sits the lad down there by him. Now at no time was there even an explanation on why the two were even in the meeting? Usually, there is an announcement that so and so did this; is going to do that, etc? Not a word, just puts the kid on display.
The meetings are becoming carefully orchestrated photo/ microphone ops to insure maximum free re-election coverage while the media deny's that is going on. Having attended I think almost every Council meeting for the last four years, it is easy to see when things are being changed.
From his punitive steps to insure that some of us who used the chairs with arms for more comfort and ease of writing notes (no longer out for use), to positioning of certain Department Heads to give them more exposure than what they use to get when they all piled up at the rear of the room.
Even those honored Veterans that were put on display served a specific publicity stunt. While he says it is about the Gold Star Memorial and who will be on it; it is in actuality about HIS exposure to the public for his own agenda. I felt so sorry for them as they were triggered to stand up for the next guy to be seated in front. They are elderly men who should not have had to be upped and downed. The rest of us; okay. The one old gentleman uses a walker and struggled to stand each time. That was so sad to me. Seems I was the only one that it bothered besides I suspect except the old Vet? Guess I could have tried a "Point of Order" request to let them stay seated if I would have even been allowed to speak?
I am going to say that in the past six if not more months, he has allegedly prostituted every Vienna Citizen for his own use versus that what should have been so much more about them, his sad victims. Even the poor lad last night, felt so excited at the attention, but never knew he was just a "prop" for the cameras? It was fortunate that he did not catch on?
Look at the Friday Daily Blat. The whole front page is almost all about him and how he is whatever. Remember, not a word on the "Meet the Candidate" event in P'burg. Is it not important that we in Vienna see/ hear something on those Candidates that will have so much impact on us in the next four years? Mr. Columbo and/or Mr. Modesitt are going to jack us up on the County 1% Sales Tax. Mr. Stephens in all probability will end up as new County Sheriff and so on and so on?
Now it is possible that after this hits Saturday that something will drop in the Sunday/ Monday papers? If and I repeat IF anything shows on Saturday, I will have to come back and eat crow. Not a problem, it is good for a person to admit an error. Make him/ her more of a Man/ Woman rather than a Male/ Female Adult hiding the boo boo.
In July, it appeared that the Senior Center had over 60 Seniors jammed upstairs in that building. This struck me as very odd and dangerous. So I went over there to see just how big that location was and if it was big enough and safe enough for the Seniors? Many of course elderly, some in wheel chairs, others use walkers and most are slow at best. They simply put do NOT run like a teenager any longer, should there be an emergency. Just think about them trying to get down the elevator or the stairs?
What caught my eye was there were no occupancy limit signs on either floor or for the building. This is a normal item in many places that have groups due to the exact issue I am talking about- Safety.
Now some weeks later, I have learned that the headcount that day was extreme and a single day event as I noted from speaking to a lady who attends the classes frequently, the head count is as little as 12- 15 with up too 35-40.
But back in the day when I did my walk through, I had become a victim of the Randall Rapp program of alleged misinformation, misdirection, deceit, deception and when the opportunity presents even a lie. At the time, I was quite upset that what I felt was a mandatory requirement to control occupancy and more so for the Seniors; there was no such postings that I could find or even known about by the Senior Center Board members present?
Plus after speaking with the lady noted above, I found that the reason they had to go upstairs was that the card players (8 only on the day I went in), would not allow the exercisers to use the much larger downstairs area. Now as I noted before, people are prone to believe they own a building, bench, spot by a tree because they use it a lot. Appears no different in this situation? This small group because they are there more than most and some are board members for the Center have established what I would call "squatter's rights"? We own it, we will decide how it is used as a possibly approach on their part? WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. The City owns the building; the residents/tax payers own the City. Anyone over 65 should be welcome there with open arms, a smile and a kind word to go with ease of access in any condition.
In simple terms, the Center should be used more than two days a week for classes and the card players should be upstairs; at least for the time the classes are in session. 8 versus 15-40 is a no brainer?
In any case, I raised Hell on the issues that I felt were detrimental to those folks forced upstairs. It is bad enough that the facility is used so seldom for the classes (twice a week), but the fact the one time extreme attendance was being used as a reason to support that $300K expansion. You remember Mr. Rapp/ Ms. Kearns; "not enough room for everything".
Well I do not have the final report on the issue and would bet a $1.00- 2.98 that some people will lie their fannies off? But will here and now say I was probably unduly harsh on Mr. Scholl for not having shut down exercise classes UPSTAIRS if too many attendees? There has to be in any case, a "Maximum" for that floor. And those classes should be downstairs for the ease of the attendees and the increased safety to them if a situation arose that demanded they get safely out of the building? I have even suggested down sizing/ remodeling the downstairs kitchen area to allow for more exercise room. This of course will go nowhere as the new shiny thing will always win out over fiscal responsibility under this Administration.
In any case at this point I am going to apologize to Mr. Scholl for some of what I alleged he was not doing as well as should have been to protect those Seniors. I still know there are some things he needs to address for their safety and a NEW extension is NOT one of them. He needs to stick to the Fire and Safety issues. 'nuff said'.
I am asking for your Vote. Change is in the Air"
(Paid for by the Candidate- Lawrence J. Wilson for Mayor of Vienna).