Road to ruin (February 1, 2017)

For years, opponents of the Apple Valley Town Council’s attempts to seize control of the water system have been pointing out that the Town can’t even take care of infrastructure it already has, let alone a water system infrastructure about which it knows next to nothing. Local activist Kerry Henard has created a cottage industry by traveling around town with his video camera, documenting dozens upon dozens of missteps, foul-ups, over-sights, and even illegal activities by Town leaders, always pointing out the folly of allowing any organization with the Town’s track record on maintenance to run a water system.

Thanks to the Daily Press, we now have another concrete example of the Town’s laissez faire approach to maintenance: Our roads (Road woes: Apple Valley streets deteriorating faster than they can be repaired, Daily Press, February 1, 2017).

As others have pointed out repeatedly, the Town seems to have misspent millions, leaving us virtually without reserves in the face of multiple millions in unfunded liabilities. The road maintenance situation in Apple Valley is actually a microcosm of a much, much larger set of problems.

Anyone interested in seeing other examples of the Town’s management short-falls can view Mr. Henard’s videos on YouTube.

Greg Raven is Co-Chair of Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability, and is concerned about quality of life issues.