The Manitowoc Megaphone: Bob's Chickens Come Home

But the look more like buzzards to me...r:

After reading your article about the newly discovered deficit at County Government I wish I could say that I'm surprised. I and others have been warning for decades now that no enterprise government or private can simply decree that cost increases do not happen. Budget after budget Bob Ziegelbauer had declared success in holding taxes flat. Yet, even in times of nominal inflation of 2% compounded over a decade the result is nearly a 25% cut in real revenue.

Bob has preened himself as a shrewd businessman but as Ive written so many times before his practices have been more of a shell game than a business plan. Again and again we have seen millions of assets wiped out or liquidated to cover his losses not to mention deferred maintenance. Whether it was selling the then new health care center for pennies on the dollar, chopping up the fair grounds, selling off prime real estate without an appraisal or disappearing millions in cash in his first term assets evaporated as revenue shrunk.

We saw the same thing when he was Manitowoc finance director as his austere budgets cause aged and critical structures to crumble. As if by magic low taxes would fix it all. Then ever playing the curmudgeon proceeded to insult the new administrations that dealt with the challenges he created for them. Yet the city for all its expenditures looks better. Its a better and safer place to live. Things are no longer broken. The sky didnt fall. With two years to go in what hopefully will be his last term the prospects for real reform remain in doubt. One might think he could step aside and allow new leadership in but the current county board is packed with his cronies who blindly rubber stamped it all, Chairman Martel in particular. There can be no question that more progressive leadership will be dealing with his failings for years to come. That is, if we are lucky and if we at long last vote for change.