Switching
Horses
I have often said that as the City of
Somerset goes, so goes the county. It just can't be ignored that the
City influences and, in some cases, sets the agenda for the County.
For me, from this point of view, what happens in the City of Somerset
is cause for attention from the residents of the County. The mayoral
race this fall is a prime example. Those of us in the County don't
have a vote in this race but we do have an axe to grind. When the
City is influential in attracting business to the area it is not only
City residents that benefit and who work at these places. It is also
County and that should give us a right to be interested even if we
can't vote.
One of the issues facing the voters is
one that is dear to County residents also. The City Council and the
Mayor established a fuel center in order to provide respite from the
recurring spikes in gasoline prices. That drew quite a bit of
criticism from those who don't like any kind of government
competition with private business. It's a matter of ideology for
conservatives but I'll bet quite a few of them have taken advantage
of gas prices when they have jumped 30 cents or 40 cents per gallon
overnight. Personally, I think that if there is a way that
government can protect citizens from predatory practices then doing
so is a proper use of governmental prerogative. Mr. Keck has said
that he would not move to close the facility since that power is held
by the city council but there are some on the city council who did
not want to see the facility opened and who would join him in closing
it. My preference is for government to serve the average Joe rather
than serve the business interests. In this case all that is being
done is to provide an alternative when businesses take advantage of a
captive market.
Mayor Girdler has caught a lot of flak
from many who were of the opinion that Somerset did not need a new
City Hall and that the new building has been a boondoggle. I don't
think that most people understand the capabilities that became
available with the new building. Prior to the building the gas
service had someone else handle the billing and some other functions.
The Somerset Gas Service is quite a massive operation and the new
facility provided the ability to monitor the system and make changes
in house. It also gave the City the ability to handle its own
billings. Through the operation of the City owned gas service it has
been possible for the City to make other services more affordable to
its citizens. A question that I would have is that if the City Fuel
Center is opposed would there be opposition to the City owning this
business?
Mayor Girdler has announced that a
large new company is going to locate on one of the old properties
that has closed in Ferguson. The City will be providing massive
amounts of natural gas from which the profits will flow to the City.
The jobs will flow to both the City and County. This plant would not
have been possible without the resources in the new City Hall
building.

My Take? From my perspective Mayor
Girdler has done a good job and deserves to be reelected. I believe
that absent any compelling reason to vote against him there is no
reason to switch horses.