Letters to the editor: Newark residents take issue with city spending, road work
Oversight needed on scoreboard expense
A February 25 front page article in the Advocate dealt with Council’s rejection of $59,218 in annual raises for Municipal Court Clerk Marcia Phelps’ employees. It’s complicated…uncompetitive pay, union negotiations, limited budgets and the slippery slope an unscheduled pay raise might create.
In the same article, Councilman Marmie stated that, “I have to look citizens in the face and indicate that I have performed fiscal responsibility.” But where was that fiscal responsibility when the Councilman failed to adequately consider the replacement of a standard 36’x10’ baseball scoreboard that, arguably, could have cost the taxpayers as little as $35,000-$40,000?
Instead, the Councilman chose to use his 20 years of Council experience and perceived expertise with this endorsement of a $240,000 video scoreboard to Council: “We could never get the big advertising campaigns because they want the commercial that supplies all that jazz and this scoreboard will allow that.”
Big advertising campaigns? Are you kidding? This is the advertising campaign that City Council was told was “ an opportunity to fund the ballpark for years to come.” So let’s look at the results after 3 years.
First that $240,000 scoreboard ended up costing $350,000 and the plan has only generated $10,000. Even if the plan could triple advertising sales for the remaining seven years of the contract, there will only be enough money to fund 20%-30% of the scoreboard replacement expense. Oops! But where is the money for Edwards Park renovation? Oops!
Dave Froelich, Newark
Newark traffic signals need configured
The stop lights all need to be looked into. The timing is off on many. I have seen lines of cars backed up on 21st, both ways. On West Main, they have been lined up from 32nd Street to 27th. Mt. Vernon Road is congested also.
On street paving, since when do they grate a road and leave it like that for a week or longer without any paving being done? Maple Avenue and Manning from the bridge to Maple. Maple has brick road which needs little work to be done.
The pot holes are not getting fixed. Two large ones on the corner of Oakwood and Lexington Avenue have been like that for over a month. The street sign that the city dug up has laid on residents yard for at least 2-3 months now.
We the tax payers want things fixed. I was told 2 years ago that they would check on drainage issues. My back yard is still getting flooded and the manhole out front still has issues. We the people deserve better.
Phyllis Keaser, Newark
Letters to the editor
Letters may be submitted via email to advocate@newarkadvocate.com. Letters must bet 250 words or less for consideration and must include contact information, name and hometown. An author's contact information will not be published.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Letters: Newark residents take issue with city spending, road work
