To access Teri’s online endorsement form, please visit www.TeriMurrison.com/endorse.
I’ve been getting some emails after Tuesday’s Board discussion on snowplowing that indicate there’s a good bit of confusion out there about who said what and what my position is on hiring a law enforcement officer to ticket cars parked in the right of way during snowplowing operations (see below).
The paper’s account did not contain all that was said by me or by staff. If you’d like to know what was said, you can contact me like the constituent whose email appears below, watch it on Channel 8 this Saturday morning, or you can get a VCR tape of the meeting by calling 928-3263 or emailing kathleen22.
If you are available and want your views to be heard, we will be discussing the issue again at our Board meeting next Tuesday. It will likely be discussed between 9:30 and 12:00.
I am concerned that some may have the wrong impression of my position based on the newspaper coverage… Please pass this on to your friends and neighbors in District 3. It’s important to set the record straight. Here it is.
I said several times during the meeting, it’s a big job to keep our roads clear. The crews are under significant pressure to get it done, especially when we have low snows. That said, I get numerous complaints every time it snows.
Public Works staff told me last year that much of their problem in getting to all the county-maintained roads in a timely manner was due to obstructions in the roadways. The Director suggested hiring a retired law enforcement officer to ticket cars parked in the right of way would help. I thought he had a great idea, but when it came down to hiring that person, apparently the problem isn’t such a big deal anymore.
The Director now says that there are only a few problem areas and his Roads Supervisor can handle it himself. That’s not what he represented a year ago, not what he agreed to do, and it’s not what I told my constituents the county would do. I have a problem with that.
I may be in the minority on the Board on this one (the vote was 4/1), but will continue to advocate that we investigate current practices and adopt improvements wherever possible – especially with regard to snowplowing. Despite assertions made last Tuesday that those who complain are not native to the area and need to get used to living in the snow or move down lower, the county should listen and be willing to consider that we can do things differently and better.
There’s always room for improvement.
Obviously we can’t satisfy everyone, but if we look for better ways to do things, are attentive to customer service, and drop defensive attitudes, we’ll make some folks happy and get fewer complaints.
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Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 11:49 AM
To: info
Subject: your snow position
Hi Teri
Regarding the article in the Union Democrat about your snow removal position.
It’s nice you are so worried about the poor folks getting their cars towed but….
There is plenty of warning regarding parked cars already during snow removal operations.
Not only are they (the folks who park their cars in the road) a hazard to the snow removal crews, but they are also a nuisance to their neighbors who have to traverse the road to get home.
One neighbor doesn’t want a snow berm in front of their place so they park their vehicles in the road, so who get’s their berm – me.
These so called libertarians also seem to be the ones with the barking dogs and the junked cars scattered in their yards.
We need less “civil liberties” not more in our neighborhoods in matters that involve their neighbors.
Please reconsider your position.
I wrote back:
Thanks, Mr. ________. I appreciate your concerns. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am concerned about the proliferation of laws enacted on a daily basis in the county, state, and country. But actually I was attempting to compel Public Works to consistently enforce the No Parking ordinance. They steadfastly refused and the Board backed them up.
Please get a hold of a copy of the Board meeting video or tune into the Channel 8 rebroadcast on Saturday morning so that you fully understand what was discussed and my position… I am very glad to continue this conversation once you have heard the whole discussion. My phone number is 533-5521.
He responded:
Thank you for your reply. The proliferation of laws doesn’t seem to be the problem – it’s the lack of enforcement, or maybe the subjective enforcement that bothers me. Unfortunately I’m a satellite subscriber so am unable to view the Board meeting. Again, thanks for the reply and it’s good to hear at least one of the Board members is looking out for the majority, and not the very vocal minority.
To which I replied:
I totally share your concern… My question about how anyone would know if they were parked in a spot that would be ticketed went to the issue of consistency. How can we wink at some areas and expect the other areas to conform? How will people who live up here be able to tell where it’s safe to park and not safe to park? That’s just not right…
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I dislike whining. I never make a big deal when the paper doesn’t print what I think should have been reported. They’ve got a tough job too and get very little ink to tell a story. But this is a very important issue for us in District 3 – an extremely contentious issue. If I have to take heat for my position, let it be for the right reasons. I want to set the record straight and I want you to hear it from me.
Please feel free to comment online or contact me for more information at 533-5521.
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