Today we received a newsletter (vol.1 issue 1) from the City of Wilmer.
Click Here to View the first Wilmer Newsletter in full color.
Newsletter furnished to WPC courtesy of John Eggen.
The City of Wilmer has a new website according to the newsletter, but it's not-quite-ready-for-prime-time yet. Check out the progress at http://cityofwilmer.org
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
First Newsletter from City of Wilmer
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7 comments:
Congratulations and thanks to John Eggan for the first issue of the Wilmer News. As always, we citizens are eager for news about what is going on in our city. Having a website and two blogs really helps keep things lively and hopefully, informed. Thanks for your dedicated work, John.
Thanks for the compliment. I really appreciate it. It was my pleasure to work on the first edition of "Wilmer News" I promise you, future editions will be bigger and better then ever. I think you will really enjoy reading about Wilmer, its past, what's happening now and its future. Stay Tuned!
John
I would wonder why John Eggen is working on the City Newsletter and who paid for it. Is John Eggen a city employee still?
I do not wish to be a stick in the mud so to speak, but if it was paid for with city funds, I would be curious as to who is accountable for the money and the book (ledger) on that expenditure, and if there is a 10-99 on Eggen for the work. If not, who is paying to advertise Wilmer? Allen Group? The cost for literature of that calibre is quite high, probably more than John Eggen could afford on his own. If it is the Chamber of Commerce, I would think that the valid membership of the Chamber would want their due recognition. Just curious.
RE: The Associate Moderator
WE didn't know John Eggen ever was a city employee. But regardless, we have submitted a letter of remonstrance to the City Aldermen et.al. asking these and other questions about the legal status of this newsletter. We committed to await a reply before publishing our detailed concerns to the public.
FYI Postal Permit 7 used for the mailing is the same permit used to send out water bills. This begs the additional question of how the funds for the newsletter mailing would be accounted for separately from water works mailings.
This borders on absurd. I AM NOT NOR HAVE I EVER BEEN AN EMPLOYEE OF THE CITY OF WILMER. I volunteered my time to help with the City Newsletter. (Which I might add, is more than any of you have done) The City has always published (not necesarily in a timely or professional manner) a City Newsletter.
The associate moderator said The cost for literature of that calibre is quite high, probably more than I could afford on my own. I will take that as a compliment whether intended or not. The fact of the matter is that the Newsletter was published using Microsoft Publisher, a common program that comes pre-installed on some computers.
Postal Permit 7 is a Postal permit purchased by the City to obtain a discount on volume mailings. It is a City postal permit, not the water departments or City Halls, but for use by the City for large mailouts. If you check the budget, I believe there is a line item called "Postage". Since the News Letter is a publication of City Hall, wouldn't it make sence that the postage would come out of that particular line item?
John
RE: John
Thanks for clearing that up about the employment issue - and it's completely understandable that the city would use it's postal permit.
- BUT -
The accounting for allocation of postal expenses is questionable, the reproduction expense of the newsletter is another accoutability question - plus there are postage expense line items in nearly every department, there is a separate ($1500) line item for "publicity/advertising", and yet ANOTHER line item specifically for "City Newsletter" which has a budget allocation of $0.00.
- AND -
The "fact" that the city has always published a newsletter doesn't exempt the city from complying with statutory regulations regarding such publications. Check out the Texas Municipal League web site about new ethics rules for newsletters - or ask the City Attorney for a copy of the complaint I sent him.
This "B.S." that it doesn't matter where the money comes from or how it is spent (ACCOUNTABILITY) has got to stop immediately. Otherwise the citizens can feel justified about asking for resignations if not jail time and/or heads on a pike.
BTW, several persons have volunteered their time to help the city in various capacities of which you may not be aware. The City doesn't have much interest in accepting help from non-partisans.
I would also like to differ with Mr. Eggen. It would seem that once again, looking past his own nose is an impossibility.
Bobbie Jo Martinez chaired the Pioneer Days Celebration, AFTER BEING FIRED by an ungrateful, illegal, self-centered and self-serving Mayor (which would tend to indicate that she VOLUNTEERED ALL OF HER TIME). She and many other VOLUNTEERS put the events together and organized them from beauty pageant to parade to carnival to booths to bands to festivities.
So, next time Mr. Eggen wants us to believe he is the only saving grace and volunteering spirit we have in Wilmer, he needs to remember why he can only volunteer in Wilmer and not forget those others who give unselfishly of themselves, even in trying and hard times and without good reason except that they care!
Mr. Eggen enjoys the little time he has had to bask in the sunshine. I truly am glad he does. I hope his memory loss is not permanent.
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