Ward 3 Alderman Bobby Ferrell pretends he believes in free enterprise, but he talks like a big government guy, saying that city government should take an active role in helping local business grow. How? Coming in and making wise management decisions for them? No, Bobby Ferrell is the latest in a long line of advocates for “Aid to Dependent Corporations” — corporate welfare with no strings attached.
Bobby Ferrell used to work for a big out-of-state corporation that had a near monopoly granted by the government and guaranteed an annual profit by the state. It seems he wants special city fee waivers for business and industry and giving them “incentives”—another word for giving your tax dollars to businesses and reaching into your pocket to make up the difference. It’s like the TIF project that gave land to a group of developers and put a cap on funds going to the public schools. Yummy.
Alderman Ferrell, who opposed city funds for preserving natural areas, lectures that “if you’re going to spend, you have to have money coming in — if you get right down to the nut-cutting. I don’t think everybody understands that you can’t keep having the amenities you have in Fayetteville and not grow the tax base.” So, his solution is to reduce taxes and fees on business? You’ll remember that Alderman Ferrell opposed impact fees on developers in the recent election. He supports increasing your sales taxes to improve roads clogged by commercial sprawl. You know, just like that 2% tax you pay at restaurants so the city can hire more bureaucrats, buy them a nice office, and spend your tax dollars on advertising to promote private businesses.
At least when Bobby Ferrell runs for Mayor, you'll know what to expect. Incumbent Mayor Dan Coody, who is up for reelection next year, said he will wait before offering any opinions about what Fayetteville needs to do in terms of economic development.
No comments:
Post a Comment