by Chuck Ring (GadaboutBlogalot, ©2009)
Quote Freely From The Article — Leave The Pseudonym Alone
In several articles and at least one editorial, The Independent editor and owner, (Mr. Wally Gordon) manages to chastise, lament, instruct and somewhat get it right while also getting it mostly wrong, by not crossing over the line to place the blame squarely where it should be placed. I’m referring to Mr. Gordon’s current Mountain Musings and past efforts to understand why Edgewood, as a town, seems unable to get off of dead-center when it comes to town projects. Mr. Gordon barely touches on the real reason or reasons why projects in the Town of Edgewood are mostly a barrel full of turmoil. But, before I straighten Mr. Gordon out (while largely agreeing with the lack of progress cited) on the reasons the projects are stymied, I’d like to straighten him out on an accomplishment he missed or purposely omitted as he ravaged rummaged through Edgewood’s past.
In April of 2003, the Mountain and Valley, First Choice Clinic opened its doors and patients flocked to the facility. This, in spite of the fact that some in this community did all they could to keep the clinic doors closed. Some who showed their elitist minds, were politically joined at the hip with the present mayor. Those individuals utilized scurrilous rumors and outright lies in an effort to have their way. Fortunately, wiser minds were able to work against these selfish forces and garner public support for the clinic. This, of course, was as it should be as the committee that worked to have the clinic come to Edgewood did so for at least three and one-half years. So, although Mr. Gordon forgot or omitted the success that came with the opening of the clinic, I’m happy to inform that the clinic’s clients have steadily increased year to year with last year’s (2008) patient visits for medical and dental care climbing to over 20,000. That is not bad for a clinic that was “not needed” or wanted by some in Edgewood. And, I forgot to say that the clinic employs 34 staff and providers which should make it the fourth largest employer in Edgewood … behind WalMart, the school district and Smith’s Foods. I’d call this a success under anyone’s measuring stick.
Well, the clinic nit has been picked, so let’s go on to the reasons behind why Edgewood’s projects have languished through the years. To begin, you cannot have a “coalition” of the weak-willed (some have said weak-minded) and expect to get anything accomplished. When Mr. Stearley was serving out his first or second term as councilor, he managed to poison the political waters against two of the original councilors and have two councilors elected which allowed him to enjoy a coalition of three (counting himself). This coalition worked to stop progress for a longer period than it should have, but eventually one of the coalition members recognized that the coalition was working against the best interests of the citizens of Edgewood and changed direction just in time to vote for approval of the town’s involvement with the clinic, causing Mr. Stearley and his remaining cohort to do the same or face embarrassment and criticism. The sewer is a most tragic example of how someone bent of stopping growth can do so with subterfuge, inattentiveness, manipulation and inability to understand the intricacies of financing and the examination of bids which come in for a project. All of the foregoing, to one degree or another, can be laid at Mr. Stearley’s size tens, as he either successfully stymied progress on the sewer or mucked the process up so that we have seen delay after delay. Largely, due to our executive member of the council, we have flushed money down the toilet and we have, as yet, no sewer (toilet) of our own to flush.
