Commentary By Samuel Strait – September 23, 2022 It is pretty normal for the City Fathers to look after their "wants" before taking care of the City's "needs". Nothing like posturing before the voting public to inflate one's head even larger than some on the City's Council are already carrying above their shoulders. It is akin to wishing for a billion dollars, a jet airplane, and a 200 foot yacht, before you take care of the grocery bill, the rent or mortgage, or even the light bill. Nothing like to be seen driving a bright red lamborghini around town to the envy of your fellow citizens, when all you can really find the need for is something that runs and gets you to work. Such is the life for Crescent City's Council of posers, wants before needs, but what ever would one expect when recent samples of road repair include streets that are very visible, but are hardly in the state of acute failure as most of the other streets in the City. Trainees, new weapons, new patrol vehicles for the City's Police Department, and get this, most importantly a new toy to play with, the department's very own drone. Lots of flash and polish on the old apple, but what about that thing called the "need" to provide "vital services". Not to be excluded from the lips stick on the pig, four new hires to be made for Crescent Fire and Rescue to replace the former Chief. Guess that Chief's head decoration must weigh heavily on his head while attending a dozen or so fires a year. In previous articles, the Beach Front Park extravaganza, Front Street, the community pool, the new proposed amphitheater, the Sister City duck shoot, and other "improvements" have been outed as future infrastructure maintenance costs to the City that seems to have completely been ignored, while long term maintenance issues with the City's properties and fixtures that have existed for decades are not even a topic of discussion. Wants, before needs, how normal. Could the City use more funding, absolutely, what governing body would object. The trick is to get the City to fix current problems, not produce more of them. Wants before needs. Unfortunately, if anyone thinks that local City Government would voluntarily place the City's residents before their overweening egos, I have a bridge you may be interested in purchasing. As with the County, it is all with the "Show" and not the substance that currently plagues the City Council's thinking which ultimately will result in added calls for "more money" in the very near future. It wasn't enough to pay for the unintended consequences of what currently passes for government in the City. Beach Front Park, Front Street, the Pool, and all the other decorations including H Street's new driveways will quickly become a new liability well before the current issues are even on the City's radar. No doubt the "shilling" of the City's residents will continue to November's vote to approve Measure"T". More disingenuous signs costing the City nearly $7,000 to promote unnecessary driveway and street repairs on H, 5th, and 9th Streets while other of the City's streets have pot holes akin to that of a third world nation, no sidewalks or driveways, but not visible to the less adventurous public. Nearly every one of the Government bureaucracies here locally, have a penchant for abusing the public's trust in their quest for extravagance over a sensible and functional government. But that seems to be what one expects rather than what should be happening. Classic government in action with more is better, until the bill comes due. Death you can't do much about as it all comes around for everyone sooner or later, but wasting tax money is something that can be stopped. Vote YES on Measure "T" in November. Tell the City's Council to stop wasting tax payer money.