Cascade's Deep State

 When Donald Trump was carrying on about the “deep state,” I dismissed it as a superb bit of paranoia, guaranteed to nab votes.

However, since we have acquired a new city administrator in Cascade, I have had second thoughts about the deep state—unelected people with the authority to take actions, spend money, and set policies that affect citizens.

This is not a new wrinkle: the previous City Administrator Deanna McCusker overspent her allotment by $10,000 to put a fancy blue roof on the pool. I have in my possession and email that proves she issued a building permit for the Tyler St. Apartments before the drainage was installed. Then, of course, it was not—the water runs directly into the street.

 Of course, she wasn’t the first. We have had some doozies, which is why I sat down and wrote an ordinance to make the city administrator responsible to the people.  Yes, s/he is hired by council but council has convinced me that it doesn’t care about citizens concerns; it cares about bringing $ in. Last spring, a whole neighborhood appeared objecting to cramming some housing onto a lot at the edge of the New City Park, and the citizens’ interests were ignored.

So I dug out my old ordinance and called the DBQ County Auditor. She assured me she would NOT put it on the ballot because there is no provision to allow it. I argued that if I had enough signatures that was a referendum and citizens have that right. She refused, so I called the Secretary of State’s office. Josh Nelson in the Iowa Secretary of State’s elections division sent me a referendum form; he said it would do the job. I started collecting signatures.

Monday 11 Oct. Ms. Kotter invited me to her office, and told me I should be careful what I wished for—no city administrator should have to worry about a vote when they make a decision. I told her THAT was exactly though they should worry about—for whoever is in the position, to worry what citizens think. What citizens want.

“Especially when it comes to democracy,” I told her point-blank. “You have been responsible for serious curtailment of access to democracy council discussions.”

She insisted, “If you get in your car and drive to towns all around here you won’t find any that allow you the access you want to discussions.”

She is simply wrong about that. My buddy Steve Hanken, running for council next door in Monticello, tells me he routinely gets up and voices his opinion about the financial imbroglio that town is in as a result of the DNR ordering them to build a new sewer plant.

And unless Bellevue, Dyersville, Epworth, Anamosa, and Decorah are lying to me, you can get up in any one of them unannounced and comment on any topic up for discussion. The situation changes in towns such as Galesburg, IL pop. 32,195; Bettendorf, IA pop. 39,102;

Marion, IA pop. 41,535. But that’s a function of population.

            So Ms. Kotter has brought us the worst of both worlds—we have the high fees and limited access to democracy of a big towns. Incidentally, Ms. Kotter is not cheap: she is pulling down a salary of $104,000 plus perks, Teresa Weinschenk, Bellevue Administrator (pop. 2,349)  is earning $81,284.

            Check the next edition of the Cascade Free Press next time for more salary comparisons and I am again collecting signatures on a petition for voter approval of the city administrator.