Rebel Without A Clue

The Wednesday September 28th edition of the Herald Times included a “guest editorial” by Monroe County Council Member Sophia Travis. Still stinging from the backlash she received for her misguided vote against the recent tax abatement request from Cook Incorporated her conscious obviously got the best of her as she made a lame attempt to justify her action. She claimed that her nay vote was tied to the fact that Cook fails to pay a living wage to its workers per the City of Bloomington’s definition and furthermore her philosophy in politics includes a healthy dose of discourse and opposition. Along with that skewed outlook on politics she defended her obligation to the people that put her in office by remaining committed to her campaign promises. That is truly an admirable trait first considering she actually possessed some infinite wisdom that was supported in facts. Being so closed minded that she fails to recognize the benefits of supporting a company like Cook Incorporated only further proves her radical independence overrules her sense of responsibility to the citizens of Monroe County. Reportedly many of her decisions have been overly influenced by others including her spouse, which originally went on record as being against this type of corporate tax abatement. She is obviously going out of her way to make a statement that her decisions are her own as she indicated her husband had advised her that a vote against Cook would be politically damaging, ironically once again she is simply following his lead.

Another interesting issue that arises out of this situation is how quickly the guest editorial appeared in the Herald Times after the Cook abatement vote. Since when has the newspaper been so timely with an editorial allowing an elected official to justify their vote with a written editorial response? In most instances the editorial staff reviews these submissions and subjectively sets them aside until the issue is so old most people don’t even remember what the editorial is referring to. Isn’t it just adding insult to injury when we have to be subjected to the humiliation of having an elected official vote against one of the most prominent and well-respected employers in Monroe County and then we have to turn around and read her slanted editorial in the newspaper? This desire for attention and publicity comes at a dire cost and unfortunately we the taxpayers are forced to keep picking up the tab.

What many have feared is coming to fruition, the off-center ideas that have tainted City politics for so long has now migrated into the County’s political landscape. The County Council recently passed a record budget that included spending down its much needed cash reserves in lieu of increased funding for social services all the while failing to recognize and fund even the most basic of necessities within county government, fuel for its vehicles. Now we have a County Council member utilizing the City’s Living Wage Ordinance to justify her vote against a County tax abatement request. These are dangerous times in local government, as extremists have infiltrated virtually every aspect of leadership. It’s truly a shame when good honest hard working people suggest that the local political scene is too far-gone and they don’t want to get involved because they have lost all hope that common sense and reason will ever prevail. Do we really need someone in government that disagrees just for the sake of disagreement? Do we really want the City’s overtly liberal attitudes governing the citizens of the county? The next election will be a critical turning point in local politics, as we have to confront these issues head on. With this and many other issues facing Monroe County we certainly don’t need any more rebels without a clue.