John Odom on the budget and spending:
I was just as surprised by the cost of the swearing-in ceremony as most Raleigh residents were. The culture of spending that allowed such an event is a primary reason I wanted to rejoin the council. Since I left the council in 2003, the debt load has increased by more than 400% and almost all of that has been without the consent of voters.
During my time on the council, we had a small event just prior to the first council meeting with punch and cookies. As Mayor, Meeker moved the swearing-in to the night before so it would be open to more residents and become an event. Over the years, as the council created a culture of spending, it paved the way for something like a $10,000 reception to occur.
I will be working to make sure that the culture of spending is reigned in so we can begin to allocate revenues in a more efficient and representative way.
One of the first decisions we will have to make is regarding the $205 million Public Safety Center. I am for updating our facilities for public safety, but I am against spending $205 million on the current monument as it stands today. There are many luxuries that can be eliminated from the current plan while at the same time making sure it will meet the needs for the future - but not require tax increases and add dramatically to our debt load.
The first item I will work to remove is the two story auditorium on the upper floors of the building. This greatly increases the cost and is not needed. I also want to make sure that the private bathrooms in executive offices have officially been removed.
The current building was built in 1959 and converted to the police headquarters in 1980 for a population ΒΌ the size of the current city. I want to ensure that we upgrade our public safety system so they can provide for the future needs of our city.
John Odom
