Last week Jerome Stocks wrote a jaw dropping response to one of Audet's Coast News columns. For days afterward, the city was buzzing over the incredible positions that Jerome had taken. More than a few people figured Jerome's comments would seal the end to his personal political aspirations.
Audet responded in this week's Coast News, which has been out for a couple days now. So far, it is not on line and we will post that link as it comes up. Pick up a Coast News, but until then you can check out excerpts of Audet's column here:
[Stocks] failed to explain why the city only has $9M to build the park they said would
cost $36M in 2008, or why the park that could have been built 2 years ago
hasn’t.
Stocks wants us to believe the
Hall Park can be used when it can’t. He wants us to believe the park costs $21 million dollars when he
knows Encinitas will spend $46 million.
As he often does during council
meetings Mr. Stocks ignored the facts, pointed fingers, cried foul, rewrote
history and used ‘red herrings’ to
cover up for failed leadership...The public can judge Mr. Stocks comments for themselves.
On the issue of Encinitas having a
$46 million park we can’t use, Mr. Stocks ignored the facts saying that,"The Encinitas Commuity Park can and will be used, and the cost $21 million, not $46 million." He said the payments on the loan are not added to our property tax bill, but are a line time expense out of the general fund.
Financially, Mr.
Stocks is ignoring the interest on the bonds used to pay for the park [as part of complicated scheme]. The city is obligated to pay about $1.4M in interest each year. He
hopes we won’t notice. What he calls “a line item expense” is money no longer available
to improve our roads, schools or parks. It is spent.
When
the issue was his vote to increase pensions Mr. Stocks cried foul, pointed
fingers and attempted to rewrite history saying, "Houlihan and Bond voted the same way on pension increases, why are they not credited?"
Ms.
Houlihan is part of the council that was mentioned. Mr. Bond voted not to increase pensions. If Mr. Stocks is unhappy with the criticism
of his voting record he should stop voting to increase pensions.
Jerome can not credibly claim to have had a memory lapse. This was a written editorial sent to a newspaper to be published. Sure, most people will believe Bond also voted for the pension tsunami, but is it not true. Bond had the honor to do the right thing, even if that meant voting a lone vote. Jerome does not want people to know that Bond warned him not to do it. That is why Jerome doesn't care about the size of his nose.
How can we expect to find solutions when leaders are clouding the dialogue over the problem with bullshit?
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ReplyDeleteHere is the Stocks opinion editorial. Some good responses, too. Why Audit's is not on line is unusual. It was.
ReplyDeletehttp://thecoastnews.com/pages/full_story/push?article-‘Encinitas+Silver+Anniversary+Blues’+simply+the+product+of+exaggerations%20&id=14454215
It would be one thing if Stocks admitted his mistake in the 35% pension increase. It was bubble time and a lot of people got carried away. Stocks should admit that he did, too, and start working to correct his mistake.
ReplyDeleteBut instead of acknowledging his mistake and working to correct it, Stocks is digging in his heels and blocking pension reform!
How on earth can any elected official, much less an alleged Republican, in good conscience squash Teresa Barth's mild attempts at pension reform?
Jerome Stocks is trying to rewrite history. He seems to have a severe case of the heebie-jeebies about his re-election changes in 2012. Audet caught him in a big lie about the pension vote, and Stocks thought he could get away with it by denying the 4 to 1 vote.
ReplyDeleteIt's unbelievable that Stocks claims the Hall property cost $21 million, when the city still has $28 million to pay to retire the bonds. A debt is a debt is a debt. Stocks is using the old deception that the repayment on the Hall property and Library Lease Revenue Bonds is a lease payment, not a payment on borrowed money. This idea is what got the state, counties, and cities in California into such tight budget situations today. Lease Revenue Bonds, like pension obligations, have priority in each year's budget.
Yes, there is no line on our property tax bills. Actually we would be better off with General Obligation Bonds and a line on our tax bills. The interest would be cheaper and the repayment secured by individual property owners in the city. Now the city has to scratch for money each year in the General Fund and take money from other funds to make the obligatory "lease" payments. So Audet is right about this too.
Stocks has made a mess of the city finances. Instead of taking steps to correct his mistakes, he is ducking, deflecting, detonating, and denying. These are all taken from the City Playbook as pointed out by Leucadia Blog.
I think you left Jerome's nose a little short in your photo...given the lies he tells it could wrap around the earth twenty times
ReplyDeleteJerome's brown shirts have replaced the Madonna with a swatiska.
ReplyDelete