Marty Chavez' red herring.

According to the Wikipedia, link; a red herring is

"... a device which intends to divert the audience from
the truth or an item of significance.

The truth is that Marty Chavez took money out of capital funds
to protect city workers' salaries. Some say he did it to buy their
votes.

Marjorie Childress laid it out for NMI, link.

"The issue Chavez’s critics are raising is his use of
property tax funds — which typically go to the capital
program to maintain and build city infrastructure —
for plugging holes in the operating budget.
... three times in recent years — in the 2004, 2009, and
2010 budgets."

Candidates Berry and Romero both think this is bad practice
that will come back to haunt us.

Chavez didn't respond to the charge personally because he is
"not running for mayor".

Childress wrote;

"Chavez seems content to let his top brass fight back for
him, in this case the city’s Chief Administrative Officer,
Ed Adams, and Chief Public Information Officer,
Deborah James.

Their responses to the economic argument presented by
Romero and Berry, again according to Childress, were;

“Their allegations are laughable,”

“We’re in an election season, and they have to say
something. But if they told you the truth, it would be
nothing short of an endorsement for Mayor Chavez
for mayor.”

“Because of our prudent fiscal management, we get to
build 24 to 25 million dollars worth of more stuff — parks,
libraries, fire stations,” he said. “That is extremely
important, and its laughable how they want to minimize
that.”

James pointed to the city’s Triple A Standard & Poor bond
rating, which is the highest the city has ever received.

Adams defended the size of the city’s administrative staff,
which he said is about 33 people in all, saying it was small
compared to what they have to administer. “It’s less than
half a percent of the entire combined budget,” he said.

“We’re managing a city with more than 500,000 residents,
with 6,000 employees, and a billion-dollar budget.

Find any company that administers a billion-dollar budget
on a half a percent. I think that’s pretty darn sporty.”

Adams said that the administration is committed to moving
recovers.

Notice please, no controverting argument to the actual issue.
Instead, a whole school of red herrings.

They might have just as well responded to the issue on the
table by saying;

Marty Chavez has built great bike trails.

Like their statement about the bond ratings, it is true.

Like their statement about the bond ratings, it gives voters a
warm fuzzy feeling that the mayor has done some good.

Like their statement about the bond ratings, it has nothing
to do with the question on the table;

Is it prudent to use capital funds for operating expenses?

Rather than be honest with voters,
Chavez offers red herrings.

They say you get the government
you deserve.

If voters vote for a man who will not
be honest with them before he is
elected, they deserve a man who will
not be honest with them after the election.


At the very least, they should not be surprised.




photo Mark Bralley