Dear editor:
On March 5th, I attended my first Sugar Grove Borough Council meeting as a curious citizen. It was certainly not what I expected and I now know why very few people choose to attend on a regular basis. It was an eye opening experience that has left me with a strong desire to become involved in the governance of the community that I live in.
The meeting began and covered the usual points that one would expect the minutes from February, balance of accounts, mayor's report, street/roads and other details that I will not bother to bore you with.
However, the Council Member's seats started to heat up towards the end of the meeting due to Councilman Gregory Wilson asking his peers to make a vote to put a job description into place for the Borough Secretary who happens to be a paid hourly employee of the borough and is compensated by tax payer dollars. The Borough Secretary strongly opposed having a job description and verbally expressed that she felt insulted and that this was a tool only to be used to discipline her. The several citizens in attendance (myself included) and other Council Members had the opportunity to publically voice their opinions regarding the benefits that having a job description provides. The Council agreed that it would be appropriate for the Borough Secretary to present a finished job description at the next Borough meeting.
Then just before the meeting adjourned, the Mayor loudly proclaimed, "I don't give a damn what anybody in this town thinks! I think we've been doing a good job" end quote.
I pay my taxes and I am entitled to know what my hard earned money is being spent on in my community. I plan on asking for a copy of the finalized job description at the next Borough meeting and I also plan on attending every monthly meeting.
One other thing I plan on doing is voting for somebody other than our current Mayor to fill his position in 2013.
Accountability is not something that people serving in local government should be shocked over when asked to adhere to.
Joseph Morrison
Sugar Grove