Questions sanity of Elgin's spending

I just read my Daily Herald and was a little angry. It seems the circus came to town yesterday and I missed it. Not really - I'm talking about the $676,500 of our money our city council and beloved mayor plan on spending on a derelict home. Bring in the clowns because I need some comic relief.

Maybe it's the dog days of summer or unusual sun spot activity, or maybe I'm still disappointed that none of our councilmen had the courage and audacity to find a way to fund Fourth of July fireworks to celebrate our freedom and the sacrifice of so many. Maybe it's because of our robust economy ... yeah, that't it!

Of course they are flush with cash. They just laid off dozens of employees. They have all the cash they didn't spend on slight sewer problems on Elm Street ... just blocks away. The people there get sewage in the basements whenever it rains hard.

They they have the cash they saved by not fixing Erie Street - ever - and all that money they saved by not fixing craters of Wilcox Street just blocks away.

Hey, how about it ... we could give all the police their own home and pay them less money and use the cash we save to tear down problem properties and maybe rebuild on the site then sell it. Get it? Then, the cash could be used for projects that benefit all the citizens not just city employees.

I'm really not an advocate for a police state or Draconian measures but maybe the time has come for no refusal drug and alcohol testing for our city council and mayor before every council meeting before they spend our money.

Michael Senger

Elgin