How a Straight-Forward Street Job Turned into a Procedural Soap Opera
May 1, 2025 — Delay #1: Responsible-Bidder Panic
Public Works chair Nick Ledin pressed pause, citing “due diligence” over the contractors record;
the committee punted to a special meeting “to avoid unnecessary delays.” Translation: delay now to prevent delays later.
“violation should have been disclosed, but no Labor fine” = “telling.” -Tylor Elm
STILL VOTED YES
Former seat of Councilor Brent Fennessey
“maybe rebid the whole thing.”
-Brent Fennessey
VOTED NO.
“yeah, Brent “hit the nail,” but let’s get moving” -Nick Ledin
STILL VOTED YES
“Confident staff can manage process and meet goals.” -Garner Moffat
ALWAYS VOTES YES.
May 20, 2025 — Council OK’s It Anyway (6–4)
Despite the hand-wringing, Council signs a $3,368,996.07 contract; also green-lights Outside oversight, SWL&P utility tie-ins, and a BNSF rail deal.
Summer-Fall 2025 — Progress Reports Say…“Progressing”
City minutes through September call the work “progressing as planned/steadily.” By Nov 6 the concrete and pavement were “approaching completion.” Punch-line: sod and topsoil kicked to spring. (Public Works minutes, June-Nov 2025.)
2026 Reality Check: Nice Sidewalk, Prairie Landscaping
Fast-forward to this summer: brand-new walkway, zero sod, waist-high weeds. The city’s responsible-bidder sermon somehow missed “responsible finisher.”
Founding-Father Face-Palm
“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance” — Thomas Jefferson
Translation: Paper votes are cute; finish the job, geniuses.
Three Red-Flag Patterns
Process over Product – Meetings about meetings while residents trip over dirt patches.- Due-Diligence Déjà Vu – Contractor angst debated for pages; post-construction oversight? Crickets.
- Spring-Forward Excuse – Vegetation “deferred to spring” = bureaucratese for “out of sight, out of mind.”
#MowMoneyNoProblems
#IndependenceDayDandelions
#PainesClownCouncilStrikesAgain
Monday’s Meme-“Weeds Win 6-4 Council Vote on East 5th Street”
A street job became a bureaucratic soap opera: delays, due diligence, and weeds where finished work should be.
FOIA Friday: “Mayor Jim’s Tax-Payer Funded Campaign Aide ?—Plus an HR Hook-Up for Cousin Eddie”
City Hall’s HR rewrite sparks nepotism fears, election-year questions, and taxpayer outrage over a campaign-style aide.
Monday Meme Drops: Lock the Clock, Save Bucks!
Superior PD’s punch-clock scandal exposed: 1,180 retro-edits, ghost shifts, and a possible $41K hit to taxpayers.
FOIA Friday: 1,180 “Retro-Punches” — Superior’s Time-Card Circus!
PowerTime retro-punches may be skewing hours, hiding overtime, and burning taxpayer dollars.
SPD Decoder Ring: Leadership Swaps That Lawyers Love
Federal court meets SPD turnover: a timeline decoder for promotions, retirements, and who was in charge when it happened.
