Shorewood Resident Calls for Fiscal Sanity

The absurd spending for engineering consultants cannot continue.

Shorewood is almost exclusively residential without complex transportation or infrastructure needs, few commercial areas, no dams, no airports, really nothing that justifies spending $7 million on outside engineering expertise.

In fact, some of the recent “engineering” projects such as Birch Bluff, Strawberry Lane and the ridiculously overdesigned Smithtown Ponds, all pushed by the consultants, approved by a clueless council majority but strongly opposed by the neighborhoods, cost taxpayers millions more than necessary.

The only benefactor of these boondoggles is Bolton & Menk, the city’s engineering consultant, whose take is a huge percent of the cost of each project. The more expensive a project the more the consultants make. You don’t need to be an astrophysicist to see that as an insidious conflict of interest.

Let’s face it, taxpayers have been screwed.

The cost for engineering consultants is just one flashing red light that there is something seriously wrong with Shorewood city governance.

But we now have a couple of common-sense council members in Digruttolo and Sanschagrin who understand that taxpayers are not an endlessly-fruiting money tree.

We need more like them.

Councilman Maddy, who infamously and publicly claimed that “he’s never learned anything by listening to residents” is up for re-election this year and needs to get the boot.

In electing another common-sense council member to replace Maddy, Shorewood residents may, for once, be able to trust council decisions and put an end to the outrageous and unsustainable spending for consultants.

Greg Larson

NOTE: This topic will be discussed at a council work session at 6:00 on Monday, Mar. 23, Shorewood City Hall.