Trying to be an informed citizen I attended the Loyalton City Council meeting on April 18th and the Supervisors meeting on April 19th. Both dealing with the Trailer Park.
I was left with a feeling that the political system as it exists no longer works, its well past its shelf life. Taxation without representation.
I was expecting some meaningful progress to result from the meetings, I was wrong.
The City Council currently has 4 members, 3 votes are required for a majority. 2 members claimed a conflict of interest because they had relatives living in the park, in the criminal justice system this amounts to a 5th Amendment plea. They chose relatives over the citizens they were elected to represent. Non the less 2 members, to their credit, did vote to take action.
By the following morning I was informed the 2 votes for action were nullified by 2 votes to abstain. The result? No action taken and the City will continue to be burdened by $5000 a month in lost revenue. This amounted to collective punishment for every citizen in Loyalton for the benefit of people who live in the county. Loyalton already facing dire financial problems will continue to subsidize the county for the foreseeable future.
Unfortunately the Supervisors meeting on the 19th who’s sole purpose was to move forward on the trailer park problem ended with no action taken in spite of representatives from the state trailer park authority, legal staff, county leaders and a failed video display. Mr. Beals began with a long list of every imaginable violation possible that currently exists in the trailer park, enough to warrant immediate closure. The state representatives refused to enforce the law or their own regulations and condemn the trailer park in spite of a mountain of evidence suggesting they should. Their excuses in sum amounted to the dog ate my homework. The county took the position that without state action their hands were tied. So in spite of the time, energy and money it cost nothing will be done. More discussion was their remedy. The meeting itself evolved into park tenants complaints and the original purpose of the meeting was lost. It wouldn’t have made any difference it they hadn’t held the meeting at all.
2 meetings over 2 days and zero progress.
The only winner I could see in this was the State of Jefferson movement. It added ammunition to their argument.
Regards, Mark Lombardi
I was left with a feeling that the political system as it exists no longer works, its well past its shelf life. Taxation without representation.
I was expecting some meaningful progress to result from the meetings, I was wrong.
The City Council currently has 4 members, 3 votes are required for a majority. 2 members claimed a conflict of interest because they had relatives living in the park, in the criminal justice system this amounts to a 5th Amendment plea. They chose relatives over the citizens they were elected to represent. Non the less 2 members, to their credit, did vote to take action.
By the following morning I was informed the 2 votes for action were nullified by 2 votes to abstain. The result? No action taken and the City will continue to be burdened by $5000 a month in lost revenue. This amounted to collective punishment for every citizen in Loyalton for the benefit of people who live in the county. Loyalton already facing dire financial problems will continue to subsidize the county for the foreseeable future.
Unfortunately the Supervisors meeting on the 19th who’s sole purpose was to move forward on the trailer park problem ended with no action taken in spite of representatives from the state trailer park authority, legal staff, county leaders and a failed video display. Mr. Beals began with a long list of every imaginable violation possible that currently exists in the trailer park, enough to warrant immediate closure. The state representatives refused to enforce the law or their own regulations and condemn the trailer park in spite of a mountain of evidence suggesting they should. Their excuses in sum amounted to the dog ate my homework. The county took the position that without state action their hands were tied. So in spite of the time, energy and money it cost nothing will be done. More discussion was their remedy. The meeting itself evolved into park tenants complaints and the original purpose of the meeting was lost. It wouldn’t have made any difference it they hadn’t held the meeting at all.
2 meetings over 2 days and zero progress.
The only winner I could see in this was the State of Jefferson movement. It added ammunition to their argument.
Regards, Mark Lombardi
