Voters tell St. Clair County leaders they want deputies, not stewardesses
Ignorance leads to poor decisions, such as buying a big-screen TV when you don’t have enough money for diapers. Could that explain why St. Clair County leaders think it is prudent to accessorize an airport when you hardly have any deputies to keep residents safe?
On Tuesday voters clearly said they would not willingly give any more money to St. Clair County until Chairman Mark Kern and County Board members learn to get their priorities straight. The top priority for any government is public safety, and that means deputies on patrol and a jail that is not crumbling.
Taxpayers in no way suggested spending $81 million in subsidies so a few folks could go to Florida for $55 or so fresh fruit could be shipped by air. They did not ask for $749,000 in expanded airport parking. They did not ask for a $45,000 plane boarding bridge.
But would they like a deputy to show up in fewer than 20 minutes? Would they like to save $305,500 in jail lawsuits? Would they like fewer workers comp claims related to one correction officer facing 100 inmates agitated by sleeping on the floor of a crumbling jail?
You’re darned tootin.’ They expect responsible leaders with an extra $749,000 or an extra $45,000 to put it toward needs instead of wants.
The public safety sales tax failed because three-fourths of it was going to St. Clair County and county leaders repeatedly showed their judgment was lacking. Kern refused to discuss the role of the airport in putting the county in this predicament. He refused to promise to keep his hands off the money — not provide a legal document, but to make a personal guarantee to taxpayers.
So here we are in need of Plan B. Jacking up property taxes is not the solution. Shifting your misplaced priorities is.
Maybe we need a system similar to firefighters’ mutual aid in which police can go outside city limits to help a rural resident. Maybe we need to rethink the drain of working MetroLink security. Maybe we need to just start talking about solutions and creating a plan to fix the problems.
County Board members need to take responsibility for the $598,000 increase allowed in this year’s airport operating budget. They need to take responsibility for the $6.5 million subsidy they gave the airport in 2015. They and Kern need to stop hiding behind the Public Building Commission and shirking their responsibilities to the voting taxpayers.
They need to be responsible adults and put basic safety ahead of luxury purchases.
This story was originally published April 8, 2017 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Voters tell St. Clair County leaders they want deputies, not stewardesses."