Political Dinners Cost the Taxpayer

It is time someone spoke up for the taxpayers of Inglewood! We have been cursed with a highly politicized City Council dominated by an ambitious and uncaring mayor.

Examples of gross waste of taxpayers’ money are easy to come by in Inglewood. For instance: the three so-called “community dinners,” which are euphemisms for public bribing of segments of the population with expensive dinners at taxpayers’ expense. These dinners are given in expensive hotels and 400 to 500 people attend to eat fancy meals and drink wine at the expense of the poor slob who lives here and must pay the bill.

The last such dinner was Mayor Edward Vincent’s so-called “unity” dinner at Hollywood Park, which was a thinly veiled kickoff dinner for Vincent’s reelection campaign. Citizens should not be concerned about politicians, no matter what their stripe, for having political dinners. But citizens should be concerned when these political dinners are given at taxpayers’ expense.

Inglewood has had three such political dinners in the current administration and many more are planned. If you are unhappy that your taxes in Inglewood are skyrocketing and the budget is skyrocketing with highly paid administrators, it is time to notify your councilman and mayor and demand that some semblance of responsibility be re-established in our city government. Our city manager makes more than the chief administrative officer of the city of Los Angeles.

Another example of spending public funds for political purposes is the campaign piece put out to Ladera residents in the last school board race. It was a blatant attempt to support the mayor’s slate, sent a few days before the election at public expense. Why can’t they be honest with the people and spend their own money in political campaigns? Enough is enough. Get back to doing the business of the city and begin to represent the interests of the people instead of the interests of petty politicians and gougers of the public purse.

KEN GOSSETT

Inglewood