Goldman takes lead in challenging flawed fiscal policies of City Hall and City Council

Goldman for Mayor - 23, April 2008 - For Immediate Release

Goldman wants a "new budget process" and "new fiscal responsibility" at City Hall and City Council. .

"For reasons discussed below, the higher taxes and fees demanded by City Hall and City Council of Richmonders has not been justified

(Richmond) - Mayoral candidate Paul Goldman, who fronted the money and led the petition drive to get Richmonders the right to elect their Mayor by 2004, called for a new budget process and new fiscal thinking at City Hall and City Council. "The new form of government, which flows from the Elected Mayor law and charter changes that I was instrumental in getting enacted in to law, was intended by myself and others to be a way to significantly reduce the bureaucracy and cut wasteful spending: instead, it is now being used to do the opposite."

Goldman continued:

"Sadly, despite my work and that of others, City Hall and City Council, while praising and passing many of my reforms and ideas, has come-up short on the implementation side, as has been demonstrated in news accounts by reporters for the Richmond Times Dispatch, the Richmond Free Press, Style Weekly, and television news journalists such as Mark Holmberg and others working for WTRV, WRIC, and WWBT.

As Councilman Bruce Tyler has pointed out, complacency when it comes to such bloated and unnecessary spending is a "close second cousin to corruption" in terms of it's ultimate wasting of public dollars.

In that regard, City Hall and City Council have used the new form of government to justify increased wasteful and unnecessary spending, not reduce it.

We have the oldest schools in the state and the newest, most bloated bureaucratic government spending.

So until we get a real anti-spending plan, containing the kinds of tough, fiscal policies I have championed over the years to cut out this kind of unjustified spending, the new tax and fee increases proposed by City Hall and City Council cannot be justified based on my knowledge and educational training in public finance and administration."