{"id":1228,"date":"2016-04-24T21:05:49","date_gmt":"2016-04-25T02:05:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=1228"},"modified":"2016-04-24T21:05:49","modified_gmt":"2016-04-25T02:05:49","slug":"addisons-weekend-of-lies-the-incumbents-are-pulling-out-all-the-stops-and-are-unconstrained-by-truth","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=1228","title":{"rendered":"Addison\u2019s Weekend of LIES: The Incumbents Are Pulling Out All the Stops and are Unconstrained by TRUTH"},"content":{"rendered":"

Addison\u2019s Weekend of LIES: The Incumbents Are Pulling Out All the Stops and are Unconstrained by TRUTH<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Todd Meier produced a mailer circulated this weekend that BLATANTLY MISREPRESENTS the positions of candidates<\/strong> Jim Duffy, Al Angell and Paul Walden.\u00a0 <\/strong>This is an outrageous attempt to influence an important election by misleading Addison voters.\u00a0 It confirms again the need for change.<\/p>\n

Meier wrote that Duffy, Angell and Walden want to open up the Athletic Club to non-residents.\u00a0 THAT\u2019S BLATANTLY FALSE. They have no intention of opening the club up to non-residents, and have never said any such thing.<\/p>\n

The Police and Fire Associations have endorsed candidates for the first time ever, and they have endorsed Jim Duffy, Al Angell and Paul Walden.<\/strong>\u00a0 Several of the incumbents didn\u2019t bother to fill out the issues-related questionnaire from the Police and Firefighter Associations that was part of their process, and so also didn\u2019t participate in the interviews that followed.\u00a0 That speaks volumes about their lack of respect for these Associations.<\/p>\n

But then, Meier and his group have all but declared war on the employees, including the fire and safety personnel.\u00a0 They have repeatedly declined to address Addison\u2019s employee compensation problems, until challenged in an election.\u00a0 The current budget went into effect last October 1st, but the council didn\u2019t address employee compensation until the end of March in an obvious effort to impact the election by claiming they care about the issue.\u00a0 The six months it was left unaddressed provides the real answer to the question of whether they care or not.<\/p>\n

In the face of all this, the incumbents are now suggesting that the endorsement was \u201cbought\u201d with promises of raises?\u00a0 That\u2019s nonsense.\u00a0 The position of Paul Walden and others is that Addison\u2019s compensation system is an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed.\u00a0 The council needs to act in order to stem the exodus of employees, particularly in the police and fire departments.<\/p>\n

While communication with residents is critical, a newsletter that was determined to be political advertising by the former city attorney is not the answer.\u00a0 It has been a tool for withholding information as suits the purpose of Meier and his cadre.\u00a0 That\u2019s not transparency.\u00a0 This council talks about transparency, but doesn\u2019t walk the walk.\u00a0 They continually withhold information and documents that would refute many of their claims regarding lawsuits, compensation and financial management. Open records requests have doubled and legal expenses have climbed as they try to hide information that other cities make available to constituents.\u00a0 Sorry, but that\u2019s not transparency and it needs to change.<\/p>\n

A recent letter, apparently mailed only to Republican primary voters, claims the past city manager, Lea Dunn, just decided to resign after 14 months on the job. \u00a0That just isn\u2019t true.\u00a0 The fact is that Lea Dunn didn\u2019t just \u201cresign,\u201d she OFFERED to resign SUBJECT TO receiving her severance package.\u00a0 That\u2019s not a resignation, it was a termination without cause and our guess is that Lea would have lots to say about it.\u00a0 But, Meier and his cadre bought her silence as part of the termination without cause.\u00a0 It\u2019s all on tape, and can be easily verified.\u00a0 The truth is that Addison\u2019s money was used to settle Meier\u2019s political score.\u00a0 They forced her out and they didn\u2019t want her speaking publicly about how she was treated or the things they had done.\u00a0 Those are the FACTS and they surely MATTER.<\/p>\n

The Police Chief, Fire Chief, Finance Director, Director of Parks, Director of Special Events, Director of Communications, Director of Visitor Services and Chief Payroll Specialist have all left Addison or taken early retirement.\u00a0 The claims that they simply moved on are just not true; many left just to get away from the toxic work environment created by the incumbents.<\/p>\n

None of the non-incumbents has ever said that they would end Addison\u2019s productive economic development efforts as falsely suggested in Meier\u2019s shameful mailer.\u00a0 That is just a total fabrication on his part.<\/p>\n

Nor is it true that \u201cwe are doing the best in our history by any measure\u201d as Meier\u2019s mailer contends. \u00a0But then, when any town has a propaganda machine in the place of real transparency, such claims are bound to follow.<\/p>\n

Independent thinkers?\u00a0 Mary Carpenter, Janelle Moore and David Heape overwhelmingly vote with Meier on virtually any issue.\u00a0 Most council votes are 5-2 or 6-1.\u00a0 Sorry, but that\u2019s not \u201cindependent thinking.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s obedience to their benefactor, Meier.\u00a0 And of course, he is now returning the favor with his misleading mailer, in a desperate attempt to keep them on the council, which of course keeps him in control.<\/p>\n

And of course, these are the incumbents who, upon being elected two years ago, LOWERED ADDISON\u2019S ETHICAL STANDARDS to ensure that when they ran for reelection, Meier could use his title in connection with his anticipated endorsements.\u00a0 A council that lowers ethical standards is not what Addison needs.\u00a0 Not now, and not EVER.<\/p>\n

So, we\u2019ve now experienced a weekend of lies and deceit at the hands of the incumbent political machine.\u00a0 This is what an unchecked government looks like, folks.\u00a0 When they can misrepresent and deceive without any fear of recrimination, we are clearly in trouble.\u00a0 Addison deserves better.<\/p>\n

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