Before City of Alexander voters fill out a ballot for the November 4
election a fact sheet is being distributed about current Mayor Michelle Hobbs. It
highlights the record she has accumulated during her two years as mayor.
The flier, called "Get the stats," does not include an
attribution indicating its origin. It is a combination of "facts"
accompanied with opinion.
It starts off with how many people her administration has lost in two
years. The police department has had five officers leave, including the chief
who has yet to be replaced; five fire fighters have quit, including the chief
who has yet to be replaced; four city hall employees have left; and three
aldermen resigned totaling 17 people.
Except for the police department she never advertises to fill vacant
positions. "She refuses to be fair and just when hiring city personnel,"
the flier says. "She hires her family and friends only."
Mayor Hobbs handed out free backpacks filled with school supplies to
needy children living in Alexander this summer. According to the flier it must
have been a private affair. "If she would have worked as a team with her
council and not used this good gesture for her glory there may have been more
of you who were notified in advance and more given out," the flier notes.
Hobbs asked the former city attorney to write two election ordinances
as proposals to the council for the upcoming November election. One would have
raised the city sales tax one percent (one cent per dollar), the other
reallocated one cent of the existing two cent sales tax. "The council shut
her down in March because a) the council was never approached about this, b)
the money is not being reported right as of yet, and c) the city attorney
should work for the citizens not the Mayor," states the flier. "The
majority of the council feels that Alexander citizens pay enough already (in
taxes)."
The flier reminds voters Hobbs is responsible for the repossession of a
fire truck. "She and the former Attorney decided to stop paying loan
payments that resulted in a loss to the fire department of over $120,000.00 and
the council was never approached on the subject." And, "This is still
tied up in court."
During meetings Hobbs gives the public free reign to interrupt and say
whatever they want providing they are insulting an alderman she doesn't like.
The flier states, "She condones the 'bad mouth' of council, that (don’t)
agree with her, by allowing her kinfolks to blurt out at council meetings."
An entire section of the two-sided flier is devoted to how Hobbs is
benefitting "all" of Alexander. It says Hobbs has either been
reluctant to make improvements or has ruined departments.
The first example given are the recent street repairs. "The council
started on her in December (2013) about getting the roads repaired," the
flier states. "They heard every excuse in the book from, 'it’s too wet' to
'I forgot.' "
When Hobbs submitted only one bid to the council she was told to get
two more as required under state law. "They finally got the bids and had
it approved for repair within 2 months," says the flier. "She did not
do it YOUR council did."
Next, the fire department. According to information provided on the
flier Mayor Hobbs, "Cut out volunteers and forced (paid firefighters) to
go shifts covering 24 hours, without proper money to sustain it." When
this plan began the department had, "$13,000.00 in the bank with bills and
payroll over $18,000 due." This section continues to explain how, "a
select few council persons" held a special meeting to make adjustments to
the fire department's finances.
The police department hasn't fared much better. "She instructed
officers to enforce ordinances that are nonexistent and or expired," the flier
states. But when confronted with this obvious illegal activity, "All she
can do is shrug her shoulders."
The flier also cites a joint complaint about both the fire and police
departments. Hobbs has, "refused to advertise or appoint a department head
in both the police and fire departments for over 8 months." There is
speculation that by not appointing department heads, who would be responsible
for running the departments, "They are submissive to her demands."
Is the ditch along your street clean, the grass along the ditch mowed
and the pot holes filled? According to the flier Hobbs, "has boasted at
the meetings that she tells the street department what streets to take care of."
The anonymous flier author then poses the question, "Why the ditches within
the original city limits are mowed but the ones past St. Joseph's Glenn are
not?" Another question asked is why she does not have, "Them filling
the holes in the roads."
The mayor's skills running city hall are also questioned. "She
refuses to pay bills on time, she holds on to them for over the 30 day limit."
Also, "The last two positions filled at city hall were not advertised."
And, even though there is a spending freeze on purchasing assets for every
department, "The mayor has approved chain saws, generators and other
things purchased despite the council."
The flier argues there's no difference between Michelle Hobbs the
recorder and Michelle Hobbs the mayor. Prior to being appointed mayor Hobbs was
the city recorder. "While she was recorder nearly all of the minutes,
ordinances, resolutions, and motions to the council meetings have disappeared
from city hall," the flier states. "She is keeping up that tradition."
Hobbs was appointed mayor in December, 2012 by the previous council to
fill the vacancy left by then Mayor Paul Mitchell who lost a recall election. Appearing
on the November ballot along with Hobbs is Mitchell, Corliss "Jerry"
Ball and current Ward-1 Alderman Farren Wadley.
At the end of the flier is this final statement. "We all count,
everyone should have a shot at a job, free back pack, repaired roads, city
employees that respect all citizens not intimidate them, department heads or
shall I say Interim department heads that work for you the citizen, and a mayor
that can answer questions posed by anyone about the city at anytime."
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