The accusation that I do not support the updating of our city infrastructure is fundamentally untrue and contradictory to everything I stand for as your representative. I do, however, continue to take serious issue with the process by which these considerations and plans are handled - and the short-sighted, aggressively arrogant and condescending approach being taken when legitimate questions and concerns are raised, primarily led by Mayor Pro-Tem Kantor while Mayor Garrett sits complicit, uninformed and unaware. Kantor masquerades as an expert, deflects questions, buries answers with a litany of numbers and figures that are often inaccurate, and does it with a disingenuous smile when in public.  

Why should residents be trusting of two Council members who so clearly pursue personal agendas? Garrett and Kantor are 2 members of a 5 member Council. Those 5 members are responsible for overseeing the budget and for every penny spent in the City. So why would any of those Council members be acting as Study Group/Committee chairs (see below re. Infrastructure Committee; also see “...Cannabis” section) or directly involved in the research or development of recommendations when they are expected to evaluate, analyze and vote on those recommendations from an unbiased objective place?

Under Garrett and Kantor, they have formed not one but TWO “Study Group / Committees” that were never held to Open Meetings Act rules. Under Garrett and Kantor, there has been no oversight or separation of these separate and extremely important responsibilities - essentially, no checks and balances. Under Garrett and Kantor, there is no accountability to residents and anyone who asks questions or is critical of the Council or City Management is identified as… an enemy, a problem, a complainer, as out for their own self-interest, or right out dismissed as “misinformed.” Click here to see e-mails obtained through my Infrastructure F.O.I.A. that document Kantor scheduling secret meetings of the Infrastructure Committee/Study Group. Click here for e-mail re secret meeting at Brady’s.

I believe that forming well-rounded, unbiased resident committees – ones that are NOT comprised of Council members, their spouses, or “experts” that only represent one side of an issue and/or have a vested interest in the outcome – are essential for our City to make the best, informed decisions. 

In 2019, per the e-mails connected to Kantor single-handedly created his Infrastructure Study Group / Committee when he hand-picked a small group of residents and simply emailed a list of names with qualifications that do not appear on the applications to Garrett for sign off. Of note in the attachment is Mike Keenan’s application where he states “I drive on our roads and walks our sidewalks ” as reasons why he is qualified to serve on the committee. A Study Group/Committee that was supposed to meet for 4 months ended up meeting for 4 years. Millions of dollars have since been allocated based on over $30,000,000 in recommendations from the Infrastructure Committee. And in reality, there was not much of a “committee.” Kantor wrote the road recommendations around his personal agenda and his committee members (with the exception of ONE resident who was vocal with questions and concerns) rubber-stamped everything he brought before them. On the flipside, based on witnessing how some of these committee meetings were run, I was advocating for resident involvement in the creation of the second road millage (see “… Roads” section).

Click below for Kantor e-mails scheduling secret meetings of the Infrastructure Committee/Study Group.

11-6-2019 E-Mail

12-9 and 12-10-2019 E-Mail re Secret Meeting at Brady’s