IN THE CITY
By Matt Irwin
Well, the knock-down drag-out season of wishing, wanting, needing, demanding, and “I know best” attitudes (and that’s just the department heads), otherwise known as budget time, is once again upon us. Some city employees have already begun to face some harsh realities and tough decisions to be made where no good options exist. The unfortunate part of this process, in my view, is that so few citizens take an active role in some major decisions being made on their behalf. Will this be another budget season where few, if any, show up to Presque Isle City Council meetings to provide insight, concerns, opinions or personal experiences? Will the City Council be forced to make lasting decisions about this community’s future once again without the benefit of substantial community input and involvement?
I have had the opportunity to meet a variety of people each week and hear all their gripes and complaints about whatever issue of the moment perturbs them about city government or the police department, but only once or twice has that same person shown up at a Council meeting to express themselves to the people that actually make the decisions and give direction to city employees. Each Council meeting offers citizens a chance to comment directly to elected Council members and the community on any issue they choose regardless of its timeliness, relevance, or significance and rarely does anyone take the opportunity.
How many police officers does Presque Isle need? Why is their budget so big or so small? Do we really need an outdoor pool? What about the indoor pool or any pool for that matter? We fly in planes that were made in the 1960s, why can’t we use fire trucks made in the 1980s? Orange bags and blue bags! Employee benefits and union contracts; are they too generous or not good enough? These are all important issues/questions affecting the future of this city and account for literally millions of your taxpayer dollars but they barely begin to scratch the surface of the issues faced by this government. I have the highest respect for the entire city of Presque Isle management team and all of the City Council members but I assure you, left to our own devices without your input, it’s unlikely we’ll get it right!
Chief Matthew J. Irwin of the Presque Isle Police Department can be reached at 764-2535 or via e-mail at mirwin@presqueisleme.us.
