Lisbon You Can Make A Change, But You Must Vote.

Everyone is saying that they will make a change this Election Season. They might be correct but what is more important is that right here in this great Lisbon Community you, as voters can make a change in the way things have been going. The National and State elections are very important. Local elections are more important because they constitute an immediate "change" that affects people very quickly. We know that politics is a volatile subject at best with anyone that has been paying attention. But more importantly, on the local level, through the "due process" of making a selection on a ballot we have the opportunity to make a change in the way things have been conducted at the level of town government that will effect the future of our community.

We thought that a little piece about "reflections" would be pertinent at this time. Let's start with a piece that was written about a year ago in the Sun Journal. Click Here. Please remember to use your browser's back button, thru out, to come back to this story. And click on the comments section of each article to gather more insight. We want the readers and voters of this community to be informed before making their vote heard, again, this voting season. So it seems to be apparent that way before the Lisbon Reporter was developed that things at best seemed to be orchestrated.

But even before October 2007 things just didn't seem to be very ethical or have the voter's best interest. Please click here. Our Police Chief being town manager. Oh yeah, that's right he did such a wonderful job that the councilors even paid for a weekend spa retreat afterwards. But what he and the current councilors did was deceive the town's people by purchasing a piece of equipment last December for the Public Works Department. It was a purchase well over the $100,000.00 limit for purchases that require a referendum vote of the people. We inquired about this and was told by the Chair, Norma Wells, "that it was OK, and was approved by the town's lawyer". They did this by splitting the equipment into several different purchase orders and issued separate checks. Don't worry the department heads knew what they were doing. But the more important question to ask would be. Is this right? Aren't we supposed to trust them to do what is right? We know that the equipment was needed, but we do not agree in the method of obtaining it.

Let's take a look back thru the archives and see what we can find. Hmm, this is pertinent information. Seems like we had many people apply for the position of Economic Development for our town. Click here. Thirteen to be exact. Why did we have to hire the current person, Rosie Bradley, and pay her $10,000.00 more than what the position was advertised for? Click here. We have police officers that have more training and put their lives on the line chasing "bad" people that earn less than this. Does this seem right? What is the connection with Steve Eldridge and Rosie Bradley? People we deserve better than coloring, logo contests and booking pies for a Turkey Dinner. The Lisbon Reporter has done more to promote this community in just under four months than these people have done since they have been here. Click here to read more about Steve Eldridge. The Lisbon Concerned Citizens are the reason why you are able to get the information regarding the Town's and School's employees salaries. You can view the town website by clicking here. Our town manager said that they were omitted from the Town Report cause "he wanted to save money on the printing". Yeah right. Give it up Steve and Rosie.

And then there is issue of missing funds or inappropriate loans going thru the town office of Economic Development. For the rest of the story please click here. So just what is the common denominator for all of this? The current Town Council and there never ending 4-3 voting split. All you have to do is look at the minutes, when they get posted, on the town website. The town council's agenda use to get posted in the Sun Journal a week before meeting, but as of recent, Mr. Eldridge holds them or publishes revised agendas. Is there So much going on that they must issue revised agendas or is this deliberate? We don't put much stock into them anyways, as the council just does what they want when it comes to meetings. You know you have been watching them from home. Thank god they still are "airing" them.

Also important to mention is the fact that Mr. Eldridge did not present the same information pertaining to the town budget in the May 10, 2008 public meeting as he had presented in the first public meeting held on April 28, 2008. Was this deliberate? We think so because on April 28th he presented a wonderful power point presentation that included the expenditure for the Public Works truck purchase. On May 10, that information was blatantly omitted. We know because we purchased the public information from the town. It took several attempts to get what we wanted but none the less we obtained it. And he did not have hand outs for the attending public. Anyone that has done public presentations knows the importance of this. He even missed the opportunity to expand the learning of the attending students.

And how about that initial investigation of the Economic Development issue of inappropriate loans. Did Chief Brooks earn his pay on that one? Click here for that story. So when you go to the polls and vote make certain that you vote for what is best for this community. We all know that a change needs to be made. We trust that with the information that we just presented, you will do the correct thing. Before you can make a change in the state or national election you must first make a change in the local issues. Thank you for reading. And God Bless the USA.