Thank you to our county public servants who provide the local government support to our community, WTIP, News-Herald, Boreal, and others who provide information needed to understand the issues. And, the people of Cook County who with the help of the above, have made this the best little community in the U.S. of A.
I have listened to the April 1st WTIP interview with Jeff Cadwell several times now. At the end Jeff is disappointed that no one (outside of local government) has sat down with him to discuss the various issues concerning our community. If this is also an invitation, then this letter is my response to Jeff.
I feel like the father, whose oldest child tells him, you are an amateur parent, but all my brothers and sisters are professional kids. This is true—YOU (all) do not know what you don’t know—or what you have not yet experienced.
Jeff makes the point that very few people know what a county administrator does, and he is right! I can “Google,” which leads me to believe that he is responsible for analyzing the operations of all departments, and supporting the county commissioners, as their needs require. But my perception is that of an amateur, a big picture is all that I can hope for, and that is all Jeff should expect from any citizen.
Jeff’s willingness to be interviewed shows his understanding that “us amateurs” need the big picture of the major issues confronting our commissioners, and the other public servants serving our community. As I understand his words, in 2014 he inherited a $2.8 million increase in Operations/ Capital-spending. Of the options he found available, the commissioners met this yearly deficit by increasing property taxes.
As Jeff is concerned that no one outside of local government knows him and his labors, I am concerned that he has not had the time to get to really know the people who comprise our community, particularly, their trade-offs required to live in the best towns and communities in Cook County.
My 15 years of doing taxes for the community gives me a big picture of our people who pay the taxes which run our local government.
Ball-park shows 40 percent retire and/or disabled, 30 percent, most of whom work several jobs and have “small home businesses” to put food on the table, and 20 percent who work for different branches of government, and 10 percent seasonal workers who help us keep our main source of income for the work force from our only industry— tourism.
Our 5,300 year-round residents who by many sacrifices keep this fragile economy going are also the fifth-smallest populated county in the state! Cost-of-living is ZERO for the 44 percent who are retired/disabled; 33 percent more who do not work in government earn less wages then if they were in Duluth, and I believe the cost of living is negotiated by the commissioners based upon your recommendations.
You are a capable administrator, are you also a public servant, who will spend some of you talent for the 5,300 people in this county. Will you do Cost-Benefit-trade-offs for the public, which shows how it affects their daily lives, for the options you present to the commissioner with respect to tax levies? My hope is that you will rise to the challenge, and begin to meet and exceed the expectations of our community.
Charles and Loretta Flickinger
Hovland
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