Someone tell me why it is so hard for the City of Goleta to set up a reliable pothole repair crew.
The mayor once called me back within 20 minutes of leaving a message about potholes in my neighborhood. She had the streets supervisor call me, too. He said it had to be evaluated along with all the other requests, determined and scheduled.
I waited eight weeks and called the pothole number, left this information and offered to repair the potholes and bill the city.
The potholes were filled the next day.
I believe the mayor and the streets supervisor care about the repairs, but since it’s a government entity, efficiency is a moot point by definition. All government organizations are plagued with “Who’s really in charge” and a direct response is against protocol.
To make matters worse, the workforce dedication is hindered. This can be seen by the pothole repairs just completed are only 25% of the ones in a half-block area. Hard to see five potholes next to each other and only one get filled.
My point is simple: with government nothing is simple. How do we fix this? Can we stop paying taxes since we are not getting our taxes’ worth?
Bart Bader
Goleta
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I heartily endorse Stephen Weiss’ suggestion in the Jan. 16 letters to the editor that Noozhawk stick to its supposed rule about keeping letters brief.
Letters to the editor are not meant to be detailed opinion pieces. I suggest that writers ought to state their opinion or relevant facts succinctly, which in turn provides clarity and insight. Also they can point readers to sources that will fill in the details.
That’s all I have to say.
Susan Shields
Santa Barbara
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