Alexandria — Anyone who has read an editorial over the past year-and-a-half to two years in our local newspapers is aware of the disrespect and dismissive tone of our mayor, city manager, city attorney and, more disturbing, our City Council, towards its citizens.
I guess I am very confused. My understanding was that those people work for us and that they had conscience enough to be good stewards of our city and the tax monies collected.
Yet at every turn — the Old Dominion Boat Club (a $5 million luxury), a waterfront hotel and bike lanes on King Street (you heard me right — bike lanes on one of the busiest streets in the city of Alexandria. How embarrassing.) — the will of the people is ignored.
Now with the same cocktail of ignorance and arrogance, the city manager has decided there is not enough money in the city budget for even the essential services. Yet in that same new budget, he has inserted a 6 percent pay raise for himself, taking his yearly pay from $275,000 to $291,500 while removing Fire Truck 204 and our firefighters from Powhatan Street. It was not that many years ago that the old firehouse was torn down and a new building built with taxpayers’ money. What about the 900 matchstick townhouses they have just built between Columbus Street and Jefferson Davis Highway, or the 200-plus units on top of the new Harris Teeter? Every square inch of land is encouraged to be developed, but now the city does not want to pay for the services required to protect the citizenry.
I would beg everyone in the city to contact City Hall regarding the threat of the loss of engine 204 because it will affect every one of us as well as our brave firefighters. You can also join our efforts at www.Save204.com.
We must stop the pigs at the trough.
Todd Healy, Alexandria