Fiscal Responsibility and WWNP

Posted by admin on February 13, 2010 under Fiscal Responsibility | Read the First Comment

An individual, such as a Mayor or Councilor, cannot obligate the Town of Edgewood in a contract without Council action.  It’s unwise for a public official to try to make such a commitment.  It’s equally unwise for the director of a non-profit organization like Wildlife West Nature Park to accept a verbal commitment and begin spending money as if it had all the authority of a signed agreement.

Funding was not removed from the Wildlife West Music Festival in 2008 as some have persistently claimed; it was never awarded as we wrestled with the legalities of the agreement. I first expressed concern about the structure of this agreement in 2004 when I was a Parks and Recreation Commissioner for the Town of Edgewood and have consistently done so as a Councilor, from 2006 forward.

Mr. Alink of WLWNP recently said in the Mountain View Telegraph that he never threatened legal action.  The Attorney General’s Office had an opportunity to examine some of Mr. Alink’s communications at the time because he filed a procedural complaint against the town.   Mr. Alink made a number of threatening statements in writing to me. He said he had a “cloud of witnesses willing to testify in court” and that he had “legal help [to] carry out this action if necessary.”

Assistant Attorney General, Stephen A. Vigil, concluded that Mr. Alink’s letter “appears to contain a credible threat of litigation” against the town. Mr. Alink offered to meet with me to discuss the matter before “pulling the trigger.” I respectfully declined. Anyone who concludes they may not be fully informed about this matter should ask Mr. Alink to share with them the full text of his communications and the finding of the Attorney General’s office.

I understand Mr. Alink’s passion for the unique business and facility he has created and have never questioned its value to the community. But the ends don’t justify the means and fiscal responsibility requires hard choices and cool heads.  I was pleased to hear from our Parks and Recreation Program Manager last week that Wildlife West is taking advantage of the mechanism we put in place to help promote the Music Festival.  Looking forward, I’m sure we will all do our best to continue to find ways within the confines of law and the budget to help promote the Music Festival, other events, and the town.