"Just Burns Me"

That was part of a quote from City Commissioner, Bill Beecher, in today's Tribune article about John Lawton's retirement. He said, "it just burns me when critics claim commissioners are a bunch of lackeys of the city administration, when it's the commission calling the shots".

Oh really? I think it's safe to say you can count on one hand the number of times, in recent history anyway, when the commission has actually developed policy. I know you can count on one hand the number of times Commissioner Beecher asked a question about anything Mr. Lawton proposed.

Beecher is also the commissioner who always pats the city on the back for obtaining outstanding audits. According to him, the public can feel confident that funds are not being mismanaged as some critics claim. Unfortunately, Commissioner Beecher fails to mention these are NOT line by line, fund by fund audits.

For a city commission that is supposed to be "calling the shots", why is the following happening:

• The commission breaks the city's own ordinance, #2925, when voting in favor of funding for ECP. According to the ordinance, ECP is supposed to be self-sustaining at all times. Since its inception, ECP has only lost money.
  
  
• The fiscal service department spends money without expenditures being listed on the agenda. More than $6 million was disbursed from the Electric Fund for 2006-2007 without votes from the city commission.
  
  
• It's difficult, if sometimes not impossible, to get FOIA documents. Just ask GeeGuy.

Yup. No worries. They're in charge.