What I am about to say will fall in several categories depending on YOU the reader. Many of you will know this so no big deal. Others will have drank the Kool-Aid and may not be willing to even think about it. And others who have benefited will deny it. That being that Mr. Rapp is a bully....... That is right, bully. Watch how Mr. Rapp operates as he attempts to hold his temper if anyone has the audacity to go against what he wants.
This is what happened to the Public Forum as mostly me, myself and I stood up to the massive spending on Wages, Benefits, Equipment and so on. Could not control me and even when a Department Head threatened me (per my wife's interpretation), to me considering how gutless they are alone but find tremendous courage in numbers, I took it as intimidation. I would not back down on my concerns for Vienna. So to shut down dissent, so went the Public Forum.
This is most obvious of course in the VUB and Council Meetings. He will begin to talk down to whomever he is pushing into line and refuses to readily accept another point of view. Latest being the VUB meeting where he wanted to go for a Rate Increase as a flat one time issue and blaming it on one Mr. Griffith, Atty., who he hired to do the plan for him. So yes, Mr. Griffith did it, but FOR HIM and not just a whim based on time of day or number of cups of coffee that Mr. Griffith may have drank? Some on the Board were asking about a tiered approach? He did not want to go from the single tier raise. He would keep going back to the plan initially presented; did this four times. Finally wore down any differences by saying the tiered raises could be talked about, but got his motion approved with nothing but a single increase. Need to watch how that really plays out.
Than we progress to the Council Meeting where when reductions in spending popped up, he was not positive in anything but the rate increase(s) for water/ sewer. Will basically not tolerate any other approaches unless HE thinks them up. Watch how this plays out.
The comment he would send Ms. Roberts back to Mr. Griffith for new numbers sounds good on paper, but what is back channeled for the desired result is what we need worry about. That likely to be a one time rate increase to "assure" State Auditor that problem is solved?
The sad Truth is that he has run the VUB into the ground; Fiscal Irresponsibility combined with a rate increase for Storm Water which actually is not part of the issue now, but still in a negative it seems since it was first formed years ago. The Street Department has been pumping money into each year in order to keep the damage to a low roar, but still broke.
Attempts two years ago to rein in the spending and do some cost controls have met with not a penny less and just spend all we want. Well, bill has come due and his response: no one wants a rate increase. True, but not necessary had he done his job or better yet the damn VUB Board done theirs and voted NO. Instead puppies rolling over to get their bellies rubbed.
To show how much he lied, I was reviewing the First Quarter 2016 Newsletter where he was campaigning while using City Funds for it. Much like he seemed to do with everything that went on that year. In it, he was bragging on how "great the Financial Stability" of the City of Vienna was while the downhill sliding of the VUB Sewer/ Water Funds and the Storm Water Fund. His whole Election effort was based on lying to anyone who would listen to him or read whatever he had put out. The News Letter was itself a violation of Election Law. 'nuff said'.