Dear Editor:
The citizens of the City of Starke need to completely dismantle City Hall and city government and start over again to establish decent service to city residents. The folks at City Hall are more than happy to take a pay check and benefits at the expense of the citizens but they refuse to answer the telephones at City Hall, hiding behind an answering machine, which shows them to be as contemptible and dishonest as those swindlers and con-artists overwhelming the federal government in Washington D. C. I came back into town this afternoon and my electric power was off. Could I get any information on it with telephone calls? Absolutely not. Back in the day, the city fathers gave our police dispatch system to the sheriff and you could call the dispatch number for information. You cannot get information from the sheriff’s dispatch system anymore, they tell you to call City Hall. I called City Hall three times, punched the buttons for three different offices and got sent to voice mail. They say leave your number and I will call you back but they are lying. I finally went to City Hall and told them they should answer the phones. I left there with no information. Some woman named Lisa took my number to have the Utilities Manager call me. Guess what? He has not called nor do I expect him to. It is time to throw those answering machines out and insist paid employees answer City Hall telephones and respond to the public they are supposed to be serving for those paychecks they receive. If those employees do not wish to serve the public in this manner they should simply resign or be fired.
James D. Powell
