Frustration – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Richard J. Switz

The following letter to the editor was published in the El Segundo Herald newspaper (HeraldPublications.com) on Thursday, March 20, 2014 in the Letters section on page 2. The El Segundo Herald has a strict 250-word limit, including the title.

Frustration

Make no mistake; my ideology is conservative, and I experience frustration daily about runaway spending at the national level. However, this situation needn’t necessarily apply to residents having a 90245 zip code. Currently there is a lot of community unhappiness about the cost of doing business in El Segundo…else, why is Measure ‘A’ on the ballot? Our elected officials must be held responsible, since only they have authority to tax and spend in our town.

Candidates Fuentes and Dugan are both skilled practitioners of modern management and leadership principles used by local major corporations. Such skills are sorely needed to help right the ship, since we are clearly on an unsustainable fiscal path using current practices. Efficient management and leadership provide the key to improvement, combined with a lot of tough love to effect the changes.

Drastic improvements won’t happen overnight. After all, we have experienced nearly two decades of government wherein our representatives seem more concerned about pleasing outside interests and providing employee perks rather than serving the needs and wishes of our voters. Otherwise, how does one explain granting $150K salaries for mid-level managers and shuttering City Hall every Friday?

As responsible voters, it is vitally important to scrutinize the background and credentials of all candidates to see if they are up to the task. Lets’ put the aforementioned people in the wheelhouse April 8, and start the torturous process of eliminating wasteful spending habits acquired these past few years.

– Richard J. Switz