Lori Johnson: Atwater needs all new leadership, not another good ol‘ boy
When Capt. Edward J. Smith was at the helm for the last time, he may have thought: The RMS Titanic is sinking and I have no answers. Atwater city leaders would have rearranged the deck chairs and hoped for the best. Now, the city is deep in debt and major businesses, like K-Mary and Mi Pueblo, have closed. The good ol’ boys at city hall are reacting by shifting their leadership around like musical chairs and by keeping out outsiders.
Their request for one more chance rings hollow. The Atwater City Council needs to hire new, untainted leadership and break its cycle of failure. Atwater citizens are feed up with empty store fronts, poor street conditions and reduced city services. City officials, first, need to accept the shining light of constructive criticism instead of circling their wagons of denial. The only answer is a total replacement of leadership at city hall and the strong hand of a Donald Trump style leader.
Lori Johnson, Atwater
This story was originally published December 21, 2016 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Lori Johnson: Atwater needs all new leadership, not another good ol‘ boy."