|
Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman shovels the BS!
In speech, Tempe mayor expresses confidence in city's future by Derek Quizon - Nov. 27, 2010 12:00 AM The Arizona Republic Mayor Hugh Hallman said in his 2010 State of the City address Tuesday he's confident Tempe can deal with future challenges just like it has come through a turbulent year that saw millions of dollars in cuts to city services, a continued struggle for economic recovery and a dam breach that emptied Town Lake. "We in Tempe are responsible for our own success," he told civic and business leaders. "We are masters of our own destiny." [But we want the rest of the citizens of Arizona to pay for it! I demand the State of Arizona give us boatloads of corporate welfare! ] During his address, sponsored in part by The Arizona Republic, Hallman criticized some state legislators' proposals to use cities' share of state revenue to help erase the state's $825 million budget shortfall in the next session. [This is the part where Mayor Hugh Hallman wants boatloads of welfare from the State of Arizona] Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, has publicly discussed the possibility of decreasing cities' share of state income-tax revenue. The Arizona League of Cities and Towns and officials in Avondale and Mesa have already spoken out against the proposals. Hallman called the proposal a "direct assault" on residents because it could force further cutbacks to municipal services like police and fire departments. [What rubbish! First Hallman says "We in Tempe are responsible for our own success", and then he turns around and expects the State of Arizona to pay Tempe's bills! Mayor Hugh Hallman wants to spend money like a drunken sailor and have folks in Tucson, Phoenix, Yuma, Prescott, Flagstaff and any taxpayer except pay the bills. ] "Tempe has (already) done the hard work to balance its budget," he said. "The state should not correct its fiscal failure by siphoning money from cities." [No it's the other way around! Tempe wants to siphon money from people that don't even live in Tempe!] Tempe, which will have to cut at least $5 million this fiscal year, could face substantial additional cuts if the Legislature goes through with the proposal; the city expects about a $16.1 million share of state income-tax revenue. [We can't steal enough money from the citizens of Tempe to pay our bills! We need to steal money from the rest of the people in Arizona!] Hallman acknowledged the construction and rental markets in Tempe remain weak, but he pointed to a few positive signs, including the June purchase of the Tempe Gateway high-rise by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. [The reason Paul Allen bought the property was because failed Federal Government policies cause the real estate market to crash! But Tempe Mayor Hallman wants us to think of it because it was good government on his part! What rubbish!] "Having somebody like Paul Allen, one of the savviest businesspeople on the planet, recognize a good deal (in Tempe) lets people know - Tempe is a good place to invest," he said. [Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman wants us to think that Paul Allen invested in the Tempe property because he loves the wonderful rulers of Tempe. That is rubbish!] Although the economy remained weak this year, there were mixed signs of recovery. Retail sales are up this fiscal year - about 5.9 percent through October - and city revenues are bolstered by the voter-approved 2 percent temporary sales tax that went into effect July 1. Hallman also talked about crime in Tempe, praising police for declines in violent crimes and property crimes this year. The 13 murders this year, however, represent the city's highest annual total since 2000. Among them were the high-profile cases of Arizona State University students Kyleigh Sousa in June and Zachary Marco last month. Both were killed during robberies near ASU's campus. [Tempe Mayor Hallman using a double standard here! First he wants us to beleive that crime dropped in Tempe because of great police work! If that logic is true then Mayor Hallman should be blaming lousy work by the Tempe Police for the huge increase in murders - but he doesn't! ] The mayor praised the Tempe Police Department for its work in the Marco case, which led to the arrest of two suspects last week, and he assured the audience the Sousa investigation would reach a similar conclusion. "That very same determination, drive and professional commitment that will lead to arrests and bring to justice those who prey on all innocent victims," he said. The mayor also touted city efforts to reopen Town Lake after a July 20 dam rupture left it empty for more than three months. The reconstruction costs were paid for by dam manufacturer Bridgestone Co., as per an agreement the city made with the company in 2007. [The city of Tempe cause this problem and now Hallman wants to take credit for fixing a problem he cause! Typical jerk politician! The reason the dam broke was because the City of Tempe didn't fix it soon enough. They waited for years before fixing it. In fact they waited so long the dam burst before the City of Tempe had a chance to fix it. Also the city of Tempe got screwed on the deal. The idiot rulers of Tempe bragged that they got a 30 guarantee from Bridgestone. Well they did get a 30 year oral guarantee that wasn't worth sh*t! And the Tempe tax payers got screwed because of it! ] Hallman praised city employees and Bridgestone for working quickly to get the lake reopened in time for Sunday's Ironman triathlon. The city is currently looking for a permanent dam replacement, he said, but it will take time. [ Why is Mayor Hallman praising Bridgestone! They are the folks that screwed Tempe! They gave Tempe a 30 year verbal guarantee which they refused to honor. And of course on court in the USA is going to make Bridgestone honor the guarantee! ] "We need to plan for the future that our children and grandchildren will enjoy," he said, "not just a quick political fix." |