For the most part I wasn't surprised with what was said during the comments from the public. In fact I could support plenty of what was said that night by all that stood in front of council. I would happily support some of the things that all four gentlemen shared (and the lady that talked about a recycling program has plenty of merit too).
I'm certain that what I'm about to write will get back to one of those gentlemen. I'm not going to use his name in this post, but I will be offering a link to the video of the council meeting and ask you all to pay close attention to what was said starting at the 27:50 mark of the video. Many will know who this person is, many probably already know.
Video link here.
I'll first say that I have respect for the man. He is a smart business man and it is obvious he has plenty of concern for the Kingman and the direction it is going. I've quietly supported his criticism on some issues involving the city. So it is not like I'm against even most of what he has to say. But this one thing was simply too much of a stretch and I'm taking liberty to call him on it. It is one hell of a 10 second sound bite.
I've tried my best to copy exactly what was said in those 10 to 11 seconds for accuracy. See below.
"Do you think this CIVIC group that we got in Kingman, backed by Phil Moon - his daughter & son and Brent the PR man for Rhodes... Do you think this isn't a Rhodes organization?? Think again."
He then followed up by trying to tie CIVIC to Kingman Crossing and Rhodes in some manner immediately after.
Once again, in his nearly 10 minutes in front of council, this man made some good points that I support... but the above is too much to let go for me.
Last night I attended the third CIVIC meeting. Full disclosure, I attend the meetings because I believe in the vision of the group... which basically is to take no side to ANY issue, inform citizens of the issues to make up their own minds, register to vote for upcoming elections, and to head to the polls to cast their vote how they see fit. I also think that the task on the CIVIC group's hands is a difficult one, if not impossible. However the folks in charge have the heart and the will to do whatever it takes to see their vision through.
The first meeting two months ago was an introductory meeting setting the purpose of the CIVIC group and to select the board of directors to organize the group and meetings. I am NOT on that leadership board but I see a wide array of different interests on the leadership board. From what I remember about the folks selected to be on the leadership board, one is a planning and zoning commissioner for Kingman, one is a former Kingman City Councilman, one is a civil servant (postal worker), some are small business owners, one is a Public Affairs representative for a company that has Jim Rhodes as a client, at least one is a Realtor (who also produced the Mohave County, AZ Road Guide), and the last one I can remember is an attorney.
It is easy and safe to say that it is a diverse group with many differing interests and even vested interests in certain issues locally.
At the second meeting held last month, the finance director for the City of Kingman gave a presentation about how the city government is set up and included information on how citizens can apply to serve on commissions. The subject of Jim Rhodes never came up.
At last nights meeting, a representative of the City of Kingman's planning department gave a presentation on the history, background, and issues surrounding the city's General Plan. The subject of Jim Rhodes never came up in the presentation. The Jim Rhodes subject may have come up in the following board of directors meeting because of what was said at the city council meeting, but I wasn't there for that so I'm not sure.
The gentleman I quoted above has yet to be seen in any of the three CIVIC meetings. Also worth noting, this Jim Rhodes character has yet to appear at any CIVIC meetings.
The title to this post is 'Wrong' and it is intended for the gentleman who spoke out against CIVIC at the public meeting on Monday night. He was wrong about what he implicated.
CIVIC's main mission is to get more people to vote in Kingman than we normally see. What is the harm in that?? There is no harm in that. Hat's off and salutes are in order for those that care so much for the community to offer a program that will only help others to be more informed, to make THEIR own decision. The CIVIC meetings have all been friendly in nature and it is a very comfortable environment to ask questions that one may have that otherwise wouldn't have a chance to ask.
I have a simple suggestion for the gentleman that was spreading non truths about CIVIC at city council, please attend the next meeting in person. There you will be able to make up your own mind about what is happening at a CIVIC meeting... just like the rest of us who take the time to attend.
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