I have noticed a new section to John Curtis’ website that adds a type of grand summary to what he believes he will add to Provo as mayor.[1] John has been quite vocal to both his supporters and detractors to “look deeper” into everything from the issues facing Provo to even his personal life and character. This section, I believe, is a testament to that rally call, but in true political style he only gives bullet points with no substance whatsoever. I, for one, am up for a nice challenge, and since a majority of individuals will creep along with the bandwagon and completely ignore the issues, I guess I will be fighting the status quo for the masses.
Mr. Curtis has broken down his expectations into three categories. Anyone familiar with Curtis’ campaign slogan might have a slight inkling of what these three areas may be: Safety, Prosperity, and Unity. Despite my sheer hatred of over-arching campaign slogans which carry more rhetoric than substance, I will entertain the fact that Mr. Curtis is sharing what he believes the people of Provo can expect from him if he is elected on November 3, 2009. Each of these issues has a number of points, but in the interest of time (and my sanity) I will only cover those issues that have raised my eyebrows. Let us begin…
Safety:
“Put citizens’ safety first.” This is a most interesting proposition, Mr. Curtis. I didn’t realize it was the policy of Provo City to place the safety of their citizens as a second-rate priority. Besides this, I would challenge Mr. Curtis to tell the citizenry of Provo how he has come to believe that safety is not a first-class priority here in the City. If I were a member of the Police/Fire Department, I would take great offense at this statement. The men and women who so bravely serve our City put every ounce of energy into their labors; they put their lives on the line, and those are first-class, first-rate lives, Mr. Curtis. I could not feel safer knowing the stellar individuals we have overseeing the operations and safety of our City. I do not understand, even for a minute, how you can believe citizen safety is not a first-rate priority of our City.
“Give police officers and firefighters the proper tools to protect our homes and families.” As I have attended numerous events where Mr. Curtis has spoken, the words ‘budget situation’ often pass his lips. Now, here is an interesting piece of political garbage that Mr. Curtis is trying to sell to the people of Provo under the banner of a catchy campaign slogan. I, for one, am all for our Police and Fire Departments having the best equipment possible, because if my life is in danger I want the best equipped and best trained individuals to respond. In fact, I am willing to say that I would pay higher taxes to ensure that the right equipment is provided. However, as Mr. Curtis continually states that our Fire and Police personnel apparently are not properly geared or trained, he has failed to give a method of how these improvements will be funded. Knowing a little about municipal financing, I know that property taxes are the surest way of increasing the General Operating Fund of a city. For what Mr. Curtis is talking about, he would need to substantially raise property taxes in order to increase the budgets of the two most well-fed departments in the City. So, why doesn’t he talk about the ‘how’ behind his plan? The answer is simple: talking about raising taxes, especially property taxes, during a campaign is sure to be the proverbial iceberg to even the mightiest Titanic.
“Not tolerate gangs in our city.” Once again, I did not realize it was City policy to tolerate gang actions. For anyone who has been to a campaign event or debate with Mr. Curtis, the issue of gang activity in Provo is always one he extols immediately. In fact, Mr. Curtis is even so bold to say that Provo has a ‘gang problem.’ I, for one, do not deny that gangs are present in our community, but the manner in which Mr. Curtis talks about gangs would make one think that our community is in dire straits. Why would he do this? The simple answer is because fear motivates better than the noblest cause. Mr. Curtis is, for lack of better words, a sensationalist. He loves to fan small fires into raging infernos, especially when it comes to the issue of gang activity. Any wise public leader would realize that you would never publicize in public forums a ‘gang problem,’ because you are then giving gang members validity for their actions, thereby increasing their ability to recruit. But this is exactly what Mr. Curtis wants: ask any member of a previous school board meeting where Mr. Curtis smiled from ear-to-ear when someone stated that there was a ‘gang problem’ in Provo. If Mr. Curtis truly did not want to tolerate gangs, he would not validate them in the public sector, keep secret lists of gang members, and tell of drug deals wherein no police officer has record. In the sickest way, Mr. Curtis utilizes the ill world of gang activity to bolster support for his campaign through fear. This, by far, is the cruelest and sickening political game he is playing.
“Make fighting graffiti and other nuisances a priority.” I’m afraid you missed the 10 o’clock train on this story, Mr. Curtis. Once again, you are attempting to discredit the amazing work of our Police and legal departments within the City. Maybe if Mr. Curtis would understand the organizations hard at-work to combat graffiti in our community, namely Teens Against Graffiti and the 4th District Juvenile Court, he would realize that graffiti abatement efforts are extremely successful. The Police Department realizes the importance of fighting graffiti, and the Daily Herald article laid it out quite well. I suggest you read it carefully. [2]
Prosperity:
“Build a strong financial foundation/make budgets fiscally sound and we will live within our means.” This shows Mr. Curtis is still thinking with his businessman hat on. I really do not believe Mr. Curtis has yet to understand how municipal government operations are funded. We are talking about the dreaded ‘T’ word: taxes. If Mr. Curtis desires to build a “strong financial foundation,” then he is going to have a difficult decision ahead of him. You heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen, for Mr. Curtis will need to choose between two very difficult choices: 1) Raise property taxes in order to bring the General Fund back to operational levels, or 2) cut a number of city services, and possibly jobs, in order to bring the budget back into a healthy balance. I challenge every citizen of Provo to look at the City budget and how much property tax makes up of our total revenue sources when compared to other revenue sources. Unless Mr. Curtis is willing to raise taxes or cut services/jobs, this expectation is nothing but a pretense.
“Streamline city services to reduce the cost of doing business in Provo.” Let me tell you what this is codeword for: reducing city bureaucracy. If you haven’t noticed, Mr. Curtis absolutely despises the processes of municipal government, and for good reason. His business, Action Target, has been at the center of many debates in the hallways of City Hall. Everything from fire code violations, angry neighbors, to operating a firing range without proper clearance from the Police Chief, the ‘cost’ to Mr. Curtis was a bad reputation. If you want the facts, you can obtain any public record by simply filling out a GRAMA form at the City Recorder’s Office, placing “Action Target code violations” in the subject line. What Mr. Curtis fails to realize is that the bureaucracy of government is a necessary evil. A bureaucracy is simply a body of non-elected government officials who are characterized by specialization of functions, coupled with adherence to a fixed set of rules and hierarchy of authority. [3] We are talking about the support staff in all administrative departments who will be assisting the Mayor’s Office. So, in order to ‘streamline’ the bureaucracy of Provo, are we going to be cutting positions so we can put more money towards individuals who want to run businesses here? Or is this simply a crusade against the City for making Mr. Curtis adhere to the big, bad bureaucratic structure which is meant to enforce equality and justice in the municipal setting? The answer is we don’t know his plan, because he doesn’t have one, nor will he cough one up. This is, once again, a fluffy example of campaign rhetoric that has no substance because it has no backbone.
Unity:
“Bring teamwork and involvement to city issues.” Three words: WHERE’S THE BEEF? Honestly, does Mr. Curtis believe he is a political savior to the Provo Politics issue? That by simply gracing the Mayor’s Office and Council Chambers with his divine presence that all politicians and staff alike with suddenly seek to work together as a team and be involved in their work? If you have been sucked into this shallow, meaningless rhetoric, then you need to get a breath of fresh air. No single individual can make a team work together. No single individual can motivate a person to become involved in an issue, project, or duty. Only the individual can make a conscious decision to take initiative in his/her life, to work with others to make an impact on the environment around them. The only other way this can be done is through force, and then it is not teamwork or involvement, it is slavery.
“Partner with BYU to find win-win solutions.” In the distance I hear a piercing whisper saying ‘church and state.’ Maybe Mr. Curtis does not realize that BYU is very reluctant to delve into any public debates or decisions with the City of Provo because they are a private religious institution, who happens to have an ecclesiastical majority in the community. There is an official, unwritten policy at BYU administration which states, in short, not to become involved in civic matters. Why? If BYU leadership meets with City officials, the press has the right to attend the meeting. It is difficult to make a ‘win-win’ solution when you have the media breathing down the necks of Church officials and City officials, alike, waiting for the next big story to plaster on the front-page. The only person who can make a relationship work between BYU and the City of Provo is BYU. The City cannot force BYU to cooperate, nor can they change their desired path or plans. They are the largest employer and greatest consumer of utilities, thereby making them the greatest tax-payer base for the City. In short, when BYU says ‘jump,’ Provo City says ‘how high?’
“Find common ground to bridge that which divides us.” Wow, I didn’t realize we lived in a West/East Germany! This is political rhetoric at its worst. I believe this is right up near President Obama’s ‘hope’ and ‘change’ rants during his campaign, which is equating to absolutely nothing in his presidency. Can you guess what my theory is regarding an expectation like this from Mr. Curtis as mayor? Absolutely nothing will happen, because how can you define an issue like this? It is literally impossible, and Mr. Curtis knows this. Forget political games, this is the worst type of political strategy: deception.
People of Provo, you need to take Mr. Curtis’ words to action and look deeper into who he is. This individual is nothing but a catch phrase, a campaign slogan of wishful thoughts and ambitions. Ask him the hard questions; ask him to explain his positions and his beliefs; ask him to see evidence when he boldly states there is a ‘gang problem’ in our community; ask him how he will fund his ambitious plans for the Police and Fire Department; and most importantly of all, ask John Curtis why he feels we can’t be trusted to hear his real, concrete plan for Provo’s future. Stop giving us campaign slogans, Mr. Curtis, and start giving us the real plan.
[1] http://www.johncurtis.org/expect.html
[2] http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/central/provo/article_cd52032a-1dc2-5117-af08-ac10c587d8c3.html
[3] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bureaucracy
