July 19, 2005
Tuesday

In a contemptible act of political audacity, Mat-Su Assembly Member Jim Colver is set to introduce a Tax Cap Ordinance at the Tuesday July 19 Assembly meeting. Mr. Colver has modeled his Ordinance after the one recently applied for, fought for in court, that many
folks worked tirelessly to collect the signatures for, which he now brazenly rides on the coat-tails of.

Mr. Colver has seen fit to add an unnecessary exemption for 'service areas' which the Mat-Su Taxpayers Association already believes exists in the current exemptions listed in the Initiative version.
 
The reprehensible irony is that Mr. Colver originally spoke against the initiative in a TV news broadcast on the same day we submitted our signature booklets to the Borough Clerks office, but not for the reasons he now wishes to amend the proposal. Funny how one of the biggest tax and spenders on the Mat-Su Assembly is now sponsoring a Tax Cap Ordinance, and in doing so arrogantly diminishes the initiative process by denying the people the right to vote on the issue.
 
Mr. Colver made no attempt whatsoever to contact the Mat-Su Taxpayers Association for any input. All Mr. Colver would have had to do was drop us an e-mail and ask if we would consider a 'friendly' amendment to address his concerns. But then that would defeat his goal.
 
In a letter from Mat-Su Borough attorney Teresa Williams dated July 11, 2005, Mr. Colver specifically asked her if his proposed ordinance would "Void the Initiative" from the October ballot. The answer of course is Yes. Just the answer he was undeniably seeking.
 
This, and other political theatrics leads us to believe that Mr. Colvers Tax Cap Ordinance is just one more attempt to get more favorable publicity for his presumed Mat-Su Mayoral campaign next year by taking credit for capping taxes, meth abuse, etc. We foresee a flurry of "conservative" proposals in the coming months by Mr. Colver in an effort to re-invent himself as something he is not.
 
Some in the media appear to be helping him achieve this goal during his name recognition campaign.
 
How many more "Press Conferences" Mr. Colver will call in the coming months is as predictable as it is loathsome and you can count on several of them even for the most mundane of events. He will most certainly continue to insist on being identified as Deputy Mayor as well as Assembly Member for reasons which by now should be obvious.
 
Our desire of course is that the media will see through this cheap political posturing and immediately cease assisting him with his selfish political aspirations. 

Dennis Oakland and Penny Nixon
Mat-Su Taxpayers Association
Wasilla, AK - USA

 

Write a Letter -------Read Letters

E-mail the Editor

Sitnews
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska