FlintTalk.com Forum Index > Political Talk Topic: Ombudsman office's fate up to voters

Author    Post   Steve Myers Site Admin Voters will determine whether the city ombudsman's office will stay or go come February. The unanimous theme at Monday's City Council meeting was "let the voters decide" if the troubled office, an outlet for residents' complaints on city services, is needed. Council members voted to put a proposal on the February ballot. Ombudsman Jessie Binion's contract, which can't be renewed, expires in January. Some council members and residents said the office, which costs about $200,000 a year, is no longer effective after budget cuts and Binion took an extended sick leave that lasted four years. Her absence led to the office's closure for more than a year at one point. Ernest Coleman, president of the Evergreen Estates Neighborhood Association, said it has been more than a month since he wrote a letter to the ombudsman's office with complaints about city maintenance. "I never got any response to telephone calls or the letter sent to Binion," he said. "Not a post card - nothing." Resident Adam Ford said he never knew there is an ombudsman's office and questioned why such an office would exist. "Why not call the mayor's office or my councilman?" he said. But resident Chris Del Morone said the office was set up for failure, so it shouldn't be eliminated before strategic changes can be made to make it more effective. "There's a lot of ways to save money without completely eliminating something," he said. Even though council members were at odds over whether the office is needed, all agreed that the issue should be decided by the voters. Council President Darryl E. Buchanan, a former ombudsman, favored the ballot proposal, even though he recently said he would oppose such a move. He said it has been too long since the issue has been put to the public for consideration. Full Story: http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-33/1133279586308770.xml&coll=5 Wed Nov 30, 2005 10:42 am    Display posts from previous:   All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First

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