Trust and The Trash Fee

Trust, respect and integrity are paramount to Bud L. Williams. A man's word is his bond. Bud believes that Mayor Domenic J. Sarno broke the community's trust when he rescinded on his promise to remove the trash fee. Sarno heavily campaigned against the trash fee as a first time mayoral candidate with many pundits saying it was that stance that resulted in his win over an incumbent mayor."He made a campaign promise when he got into office and he abandoned that," Bud says. "He made a false promise to the residents of Springfield."Now, Mayor Sarno is delaying the mailing of the trash fee bills until after the election, Bud said."The citizens of Springfield will not be fooled again," Bud said. "Making a campaign promise and not following through is bad enough. Hiding the matter by delaying the issuance of the bills is deceitful and disrespectful to our citizens."The issue isn't so much based on the fee itself, but on the factor that citizens were misled by Domenic Sarno who pledged to eliminate the fee in his attempt to win the mayoral race, Bud said."City Hall needs a major dose of transparency. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me," Bud said, referring to a popular saying.In addition, a policy imposed under Sarno's administration calls for the removal of trash barrels at homes when fees are not paid. As a result, illegal dumping has increased around the city.Bud, along with Councilor James Ferrera III, has sponsored a resolution that calls for the suspension of the city's policy to seize trash barrels from residents and instead use other options to collect fees; options like a payment plan for people who can demonstrate a financial hardship or for seniors or placing a lien on a property where the fee goes unpaid.Bud believes the current trash fee policy must be changed to protect the public health of Springfield citizens. And citizens should be able to trust the mayor is a man of his word.