….think again. Then read this.
Ron Fearheiley
There was so much more to the meeting held at the beginning of the month at Harrisburg City Hall. There’s so much backstory. There’s so much attitude on the council. And remember…these are elected councilmen. They should be answering to the people…but instead, they’re throwing it back on the people they represent.
Did you know that?
If you read or listened to the mainstream accounts of the February 6 meeting, you may not be aware of it. But that’s exactly what’s happening—yep, some council members think it’s YOUR FAULT, residents of Harrisburg, that fire protection outside the city limits was taken away from you (by Eric Gregg) last summer—and you need to be aware, in order to be an educated voter come next election, but also so you might be inclined to attend upcoming meetings and participate in them….to let the elected people know that you’re watching, so that next time, when they blame you, you’ll be able to respond.
In the meantime, you can read the FULL story by clicking the link in the headline, “Placing blame on the public; city council temporarily rests fire protection to areas outside city limits,” our first Read the Lead for the issue of February/March from the front page; here’s a sample:
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Beth Montfort
HARRISBURG—A citizen’s diligence has shown that the reasoning given last year for stopping the Harrisburg Fire Department from making fire runs outside city limits is flawed…but that didn’t stop certain members of the city council from continuing to use those same reasonings to justify their actions until the night of the first February meeting of 2014.
The city council seemed reluctant to return to the status of outside-jurisdiction fire calls, something former mayor Eric Gregg brought to a halt as one of his last acts before resigning last year after pressure was put upon him following his appointment to a state job, during which tenure he could hold no other elected or appointed position (but did so anyway, for four months).
Now, the matter of HFD responding to fires outside city limits will be put to a vote with a ballot question November 6.
In the interim, the city council has decided to temporarily restore the city’s fire department the ability to make fire calls outside city limits…but only after intense pressure was placed on the council on the night of February 6, 2014.
The Council Chamber was packed to the point of standing room only that Thursday, as the public had turned out to demand a solution to the Harrisburg Township Fire Protection issue, the issue being this: on July 1, 2013, then-mayor Gregg had terminated fire calls to areas outside city limits, stating that the city could no longer afford to make the calls…and the fear was that a person living mere yards outside the fire protection district might lose their home because of the city’s (and ultimately, Gregg’s) stubborn and flawed reasoning.
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You can read the rest of the article (it’s massive, over 5,000 words!) by clicking this link to get started at the e-Edition, or pick up the print version at the following vendors throughout Saline County: all ROC One-Stop locations (Poplar Street and Commercial Drive in Harrisburg, State Street and Highway 45 in Eldorado, as well as Carrier Mills and Galatia), Discount Food Mart, Book Emporium and J&J’s Package in Harrisburg, and Raleigh Quick Mart in Raleigh!