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Prosecutor's decision in Blytheville IRS case not surprising
To the editor:
Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Is anyone really surprised to hear that Scott Ellington has dropped the pursuit for prosecution in the IRS scandal? I'm not. I don't think he ever intended to prosecute. He was only waiting for the taxpayers to pay off the debt to the IRS. The citizens still don't know where that money went. If Harrison didn't put the money in his own pocket or funnel it to his cronies, what did he use it for? I don't see a new fleet of police cars or fire trucks. I see fire stations still in need of repair. I don't see a cleaner city where the money was used to tear down condemned housing. I see the worst city streets in the state. I don't see anything anywhere in our city where all that money could be used. Maybe now, since Harrison is cleared of all charges, he will come forward and give the taxpayers a better explanation of what really happened. We deserve that much from him, especially since we paid off his debt to the IRS.
I notice too that city is considering giving Harrison the funds he lost to the IRS. Perhaps the city should consider a civil suit against Harrison, to get the truth and recover the money we had to repay the IRS. He's crying about $8,000 and the citizens of Blytheville lost millions.
This city is no better off now than it was before Harrison took office. Our current mayor isn't doing any better. He is borrowing money from parks and rec to do other things with the promise of repayment. The CN reported this not long ago, and at that time, the amount borrowed exceeded $600,000. Maybe Harrison was doing the same thing. Either way, it's the wrong way to run a business.
Maybe now is when the good people of Blytheville should start thinking about who our next mayor will be. It's clear that no progress is being made. The state of our city is getting worse, not better. Dilapidated houses, grown-up yards, streets that are horrible. Money being funneled from one account to another. There's no other city or town in Arkansas in this position. I hope we can move forward, but we need the leadership that will concentrate on the most important issues and use the revenue for its intended purpose and stay within that budget. Get grants to help where there are shortfalls and make the most of what we have. Make sure the employees and managers are maximizing their potential and performing their jobs to the max.
To the mayor, I would say, if you care about this city and want to be re-elected, take the time you have remaining and make improvements that will have a positive impact that the citizens of Blytheville will recognize.