Letters to the editor

Some voters’ decisions may be affected by news reporting

In a week that saw the United States Senate release a report that put the blame for the tragedy of Benghazi on the Obama administration and Hillary (Clinton), a state’s governor was indicted and another was accused of playing politics with U.S. funds and interstate traffic control, the headline on the Boulder City Review is about a local pair’s sketches.

Above the fold is a headline about a decline in the local bald eagle population. The city’s approval of a windmill test site will not help that problem.

The front page also informed me that the city is going to throw away another $85,000 of tax revenue to hire a consulting firm to “assist” the “nonprofit (economic vitality) commission.” I wonder if the ghost towns along Route 66 would approve.

With reporting like this, no wonder Harry Reid is Nevada’s senator … again.

Bill Grouell

Audit in order for city-paid attorney fees

Once again officer Jeffrey Grasso has gotten it wrong. In his column last week, Grasso wrote that the purpose of the police was to “maintain the status quo.” I disagree.

In a democratic society, the only legitimate role for the police is to protect life, limb and property by impartially enforcing the law. Maintaining the status quo amounts to nothing less than protecting the special interests operating in our community.

When the tide of political favor turned against former Police Chief Tom Finn, he was crucified. One of the nails used while hammering Finn to the cross was the loss of a $700 semi-automatic rifle owned by the police department. Neither Finn, nor any member of his department, was ever criminally implicated in its loss.

I recently found an invoice posted on the Boulder City political forum for $700 in attorney’s fees that were paid for, but not received by, the city. The posting also includes a pointed exchanged between City Attorney Dave Olsen and a concerned Boulder City resident, in which Olsen assured the resident that their tax dollars would not be spent on services the city did not receive.

$700 seems to be a magic number. If we apply the same standard to City Attorney Olsen that was applied to Chief Finn, an audit of the city attorney’s office and criminal investigation into possible false claims and improper payments are definitely in order.

At present, the fees paid to the law firm of Lionel, Sawyer &Collins for suing Boulder City residents on the theory it was wrong for them to circulate petitions to put advisory questions on the local ballot exceeds $200,000. As a resident and taxpayer, I demand to know why. An audit/investigation of the city attorney’s office might just provide the answer.

Dick Farmer