Anything but open

Opinion

Discussion

October 10, 2006

Anything but open

Anonymous The Kokomo Tribune Tue Oct 10, 2006, 03:38 AM EDT

Editor's note: The Kokomo Tribune will continue to update the coundown graphic until the city administration complies.

Click on image to download a readable version in pdf format
(requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Before an invited group of about 100 well-wishers, Mayor Matt McKillip launched his re-election campaign 12 days ago.

He boasted about his “beautification project” that included more than $100,000 in potted and planted flowers throughout the community. He noted the increased volume of drug arrests by the Kokomo Police Department. And he reiterated his “5-point plan” to improve the city:

• Growing and diversifying job opportunities.

• Beautifying and making Kokomo a more vibrant community.

• Modernizing Kokomo’s public and private infrastructure.

• Keeping residents safe in their homes and neighborhoods.

• Making government more open, efficient and proactive.

We’re surprised – stunned, actually – that McKillip continues to tout “making government more open” as one of his top priorities. His administration is anything but that.

• On Aug. 9, we asked city Controller Phil Williams for a listing for all attorneys fees and deductibles paid by the city, year-to-date. We’re still waiting for that information.

• On Aug. 16, we asked Williams for a copy of purchase order No. 003403, check No. 123674 and voucher No. PI1694 from the claims approved by the Kokomo Board of Public Works & Safety of July 11. Still waiting.

• Also on Aug. 16, we asked Williams for an itemized list of all city money spent on KGOV-TV, including money spent hiring a Carmel-based video production company called “The Omni Centre,” as well as all program schedules and a listing of the programs currently playing on KGOV. Still waiting.

• Again, on Aug. 16, we asked Williams for an itemized list of the city’s landscaping/beautification spending for 2006 to date, including costs for concrete curbing, city labor, plants and any other costs related to the beautification efforts. Again, still waiting.

• On Aug. 18, we asked Williams for all documentation related to check No. 124861, paid to the vendor “Cardmember Service” from the claims approved by the Board of Works Aug. 15. Still waiting.

McKillip’s and Williams’ information blackout apparently has been adopted by others in City Hall. Last week, we tried to ask parks superintendent Dan Smith where an additional $2 million in parks department money had come from. He wouldn’t return phone calls and walked away from one of our reporters.

We later asked to listen to the audio tape of the September Park Board meeting, but were told that tape had been erased.

City residents deserve to know what city government is doing with their property tax dollars. They must be allowed to question government actions. If they don’t know where their money is going or can’t ask a city official even the simplest of questions, then their government lacks the very principles McKillip claims guide his administration.

They are accountability, professionalism and responsiveness.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Opinion

Move over, Ind. drivers
Keep highway and utility workers safe; remember to pull over for utility vehicles.

May 19, 2013
May 18, 2013: Cheers & Jeers
Commissioner earns respect of inmates

Kyle Stacy sends this Cheer for Howard County Commissioner Paul Wyman:

May 18, 2013
House of Burgess: The revolution will be printed
Another major milestone in the history of 3D printing was reached earlier this month when Cody Wilson, director of the nonprofit Defense Distributed, announced he had conducted the first-ever successful test firing of a completely 3D-printed gun in (where else?) Texas. Wilson then uploaded the plans online. These files were then downloaded over 100,000 times over the next 48 hours. That was, until the State Department intervened.

May 15, 2013 1 Photo
Hayden: From good to great in education
On the campaign trail last year and early into his administration, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said repeatedly that his goal as governor would be to take Indiana from “good to great.”

May 14, 2013
Mom’s simple advice still presents a valuable challenge
Most moms don’t base their advice on scientific research. Instead, their words of wisdom come from a greater source — the heart, where they store and process life experiences. Unfortunately, some folks don’t receive the gift of maternal guidance, for various reasons.

May 14, 2013
Wolfsie: Making bird calls
One afternoon in 2011, my friend Eric spent a couple of hours over lunch explaining Twitter to me and I thought I understood it all, but as you’ll see from my first few tweets, I wasn’t very confident: “Is anyone getting this?”

May 13, 2013
Letter to the Editor: May 13, 2013
Good people wouldn’t do this to their neighbors. This common refrain is being heard over eastern Howard County where industrial development is planned for our farmland in the form of massive wind turbines.

May 13, 2013
Vasicek: Mother’s Day stresses
For two hours, the lady sitting next to another airplane passenger boasted about her grandchildren, producing a barrage of photographs. She finally realized that she had been talking the whole time, so she tried to make amends:
“Oh, I am sorry! I have monopolized the conversation. I will listen to you now. So please tell me: what do you think of my grandchildren?”

May 12, 2013
Letters to the Editor: May 12, 2013
How fortunate, that after years of trying to bring top-notch wind energy companies to Tipton County, this great choice is here for us — just at the right time. Tipton County badly needs the revenue from clean wind farm companies.

May 12, 2013
Cheers & Jeers: May 12, 2013
“A big cheer goes out to Kokomo for those who parked along the route to cheer on the bikes and to the riders who participated in the 11th Annual Ride For The Troops on Sunday, April 28. Despite the rain, we had a excellent turnout of 457 bikes!"

May 11, 2013
More Opinion Headlines

Opinion

Search Results

Discussion

Anything but open

Site Map

Contact Us