Time for change

Dear editor:

An article Monday noted the board of directors Districts 1, 3 and 6 elections will take place in November. I urge all voters to vote, and in my opinion, all three of those districts (actually every one of the board positions) needs new leadership. I don’t know what districts Mark Toth, Dennis Magee, Bob Driggers, or Jim Pumphrey live in, but they or anyone with their knowledge and integrity would have my support in ousting Becca Clark, Randy Fale, Erin Holliday, or any of the other current board members.

The truth is our current board and city government are abject failures. Not to single Clark out, but as the newspaper noted, she organizes people’s closets for a living. We are talking about a city with a multimillion dollar budget. And the current board along with City Manager Bill Burrough have been unable to provide the most basic of taxpayer needs over the past few years: Our city streets are in an atrocious condition — cutouts, washboards, and potholes everywhere. They’re also poorly lit and marked, and certain sections flood predictably. Putting up scores of unnecessary traffic lights and pedestrian crossings seems to be their only claim to fame when it comes to our thoroughfares.

Crime and proactive prevention have also been poorly managed by the Hot Springs Police Department under the guidance of this board and Burrough, as evidenced by the recent no-confidence vote and resignation of the top two ranking HSPD officers.

Finally, if one needed another reason to vote any current board member out, an article last week noted the refusal of two more offers to purchase and develop top-notch resort facilities at the site of the former Majestic Hotel. In 2015, the city spent $2 million to clean up and purchase the site and has since turned down at least four offers that would have more than recouped those taxpayer dollars and brought in construction jobs and permanent employment to downtown through the vision of more than one developer who wanted to build a first-class resort and hotel. Keep this board in place and in another five years that eyesore will still be there.

The bottom line is our current city leadership has not improved Hot Springs. In my opinion, they’ve worsened our beautiful city. It’s time for them to go.

Semper Fi. Gunnery Sgt. Ron Collins, USMC retired Hot Springs