Taxpayers need to watch both hands

Two of the most recent events to be in the public eye for SWCS are the upcoming contract negotiations and the state auditors report. The auditors report is very transparent for citizens to see whether or not the district heeds its recommendations to save money. I will be watching to see if the district addresses the excessive maintenance staffing and bus routes. Bill Wise is already starting to cry about the report that was so heavily touted before it came out. How will Bill Wise get the focus of the auditors report that he has no intention of implementing out of the public spotlight? He will focus on contract negotiations and only contract negotiations. The contract negotiations have no transparency at all to the tax paying public. Whatever is negotiated will be called a hard nose victory for the district with the so-called Community Advisory Groups stamp of approval.

The Community Advisory Group meets twice a month yet posts no minutes that I am aware of (anyone have those available). They are a non elected clown group set up to try and give SWCS the appearance of credibility with the community. The chairman of this Community Advisory Group is a community organizer that has ties to the "National Council of La Raza" and ACORN. I feel good knowing he has input and the districts ear. He has been doing business on the West side of Columbus since 1993 making a decent living off tax payer money under the Community Re-investment Act. You would think with all the years of service to the community the West side would be a show place. I challenge the Community Advisory Group to see that the state auditors recommendations are implemented and leave the so called contract negotiations to the elected representatives of the district. Check out Evan Brooks in the ThisWeek
http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/grovecity/stories/2010/02/10/0211grswcs-unions_ln.html?sid=104
"Negotiations with unions cited as best way to save money". The Community Advisory Group makes no mention of the state auditors findings and only wants to focus on contract negotiations that are not transparent to the tax payers anyway. The Community Advisory Group makes no mention of implementing the auditors findings to save the district money. Residents of SWCS need to stay focused on implementing the state auditors report and not focus only on the contract negotiations. Bill Wise and the Community Advisory Group want you to forget.