The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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June 30, 2009

Your View: Firefighters should be priority

By Hugh Gower, Mankato

I must be missing something here. At the same time that the city is trying to cut 20 percent of the professional firefighters for the city, including the fire chief and fire marshal, and placing control of the fire department to an administrator and non-firefighter, the director of public safety, they have the gall to ask the citizens of Mankato and the state to pony up another almost $28 million to expand the civic center.

Why would there even be consideration given to this absolute extreme abuse of public monies, on a venture that is admitted to be a given money loser every single year? Year after year assaults are made upon public services for the city and City Manager Pat Hentges whines about how the loss of LGA is forcing cuts to most basic services, yet there seems to be enough to build a $3 million park that is most assuredly not needed, millions for a privately-owned downtown hotel, new fancy streetlights, millions for the absolutely idiotic idea to turn some one-ways into two-ways, and now, an even bigger, better money-losing civic center.

When your house is on fire, or you are having a heart attack, don’t hold your breath that enough firefighters will show up soon enough to help you. But gosh darn it, you can go see a hockey game and a concert at the same time if you want.

Let your council and Hentges know that this is not acceptable; we need more firefighters, not more parks or bigger money losing civic centers.

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