Breath of fresh air?

There is a new Facebook page regarding Troy issues worth looking into. You can find it here. It appears to have been started by some TCU folks with integrity who came to understand that many legitimate voices were being blocked and honest dialogue was being stopped by the people who secretly manage TCU. I want to thank and honor their efforts at trying to start an honest discussion. That's all this blog has ever aspired to accomplish.

For those who might be new here, who have been denied access to the data that I've presented here in the past, many times, I wish to point out that there has been a legitimate "Option 3" on the table since May 9 (updated since May 6). Most of the Troy City Council and several of the senior administrative staff have been exposed to this directly, more indirectly. This plan is not for the ideologues and weak-spirited because it argues for across-the-board cuts (which balances the budget) and does so to make the point that that the city had broken faith with the voters and must, simply must, make dramatic and possibly Draconian cuts (~25%) per department to demonstrate good will and reestablish credibility within the community. Only then will it be possible to ask for what is necessary: additional revenue that are needed to back-fill at least some of the lost revenues to insure this community remains in the top tier of SE Michigan communities and poised to compete when the economy finally turns.

This is not an easy argument to make. Essentially we are saying, have been saying, that both sides are as right as they are wrong. I remain hopeful and confident that the good citizens of Troy will understand this nuance and given the complex times in which we live will "get it."

In other words, I have more faith in you than either the city or TCU has. Again, please review the alternative plan we call Option 3 (and Option 3a) and be sure to look closely at the Supplemental Data that demonstrates the City of Troy has had an operating deficit since 2002.

Study this, ponder this and come to the discussion better informed.