Nice Try... and you know who you are :)

Nice try. An anonymous poster, lacking the guts to put their name to a comment says that I have it out for people who have "wronged" me. This is not the case in the slightest. When I left the employ of my former company, they provided me a generous severance package and thanked me for the years of valuable service I rendered to them. I was not, "fired" as was Mrs. Nelsen, although people such as the writer often equate the two as one and the same.

As recently as a last year, people complained that the big three of Filsinger, Wiederspon and Van Vleet were attempting to undermine the city manager and the progressive ideas of Gaston and his clone Hiett. The idea of going after Filsinger was purely political as Gary needed to cement his power base with a solid third vote. You have to admit that it is now more likely that Gary can ram his ideas through with little more than passive resistance with softball questions such as those you have already seen from Gaston, Nienheuser and Hiett.

I am not saying every idea that Gary comes up with is bad, but his track record of economic development, sans what Cabela's was already interested in doing, is scant to none. It should be seen for the farce that it is how he wants to push off part of his economic duties and responsibilities to someone else (precisely increasing staff salaries and benefits in direct opposition to thoughts to separate his roles last year). Respected citizens said that it didn't make financial sense to separate his roles, yet now he expects you to believe that it is ok to create a high paying job with city benefits to assume a part of his economic responsibilities. Gary Person is a CITY employee first and an area economic development coordinator second. I agree with the person who commented on how this is a new job that gives him more control over activities best left to the chamber of commerce.

An effective news organization would be asking the what-if questions, instead these media outlets simple report what is said and offer zero analysis as to what the potential impact is on their respective market audiences.

Neither have any spine to objectively seek clarification and both readily accept whatever tidbits are supplied to them from the FOGG.

If there is any thing that bothers me about the local situation, it is precisely that fact alone.

Gary is a politician, and just like all successful politicians, he has lobbied and built his alliances carefully over the years. You cannot, as the commenter said, point to the "large number" of voters and say that the last election was definitive by any standard. I need to check this out with Beth F. in the County Clerk's office, but you have to take a look at the number of registered voters in all the precincts and then look at the penetration or actual percent of eligible votes cast by precinct.

I advocated a couple years ago for requiring elections to be converted to a ward based system, whereby those elected are chosen from these neighborhood wards or districts. This would help increase active participation from people on the north side of town as well as diluting the concentration of power on the south side. It is a reasonable and fair thing to consider and it would be difficult to push some of Gary's progressive nonsense through when people on the North side would actually realize the long term costs of such folly.

Don't think I hate anyone or anything. I just think differently that Gary's crew and I have nothing to lose by illustrating those differences. Gary or any member of the FOGG are more than welcome to comment and they can remain anonymous or put their name to it.

The problem is, and always has been that they chose to act like Bucko Hartzler or Cathy Wilson or the Youngs and lob their grenades and vitriol behind anonymous comments or titles such as "The Pundit." I stand by every word and am not afraid to say it, or amend it if I am wrong. If you disagree, bring your facts and leave out the side swipes on me or this blog and you will be heard. Frankly, I would rather have a debate with a named individual and discuss the ideas than respond to BS anonymous bombs, but no one has found the courage to refute me with their name attached. I think that says volumes about the caliber of their argument.